


in particular, mitsu, i'm grateful to you

by ninetyplanets



Category: IDOLiSH7 (Video Game)
Genre: Being too stupid to admit you are madly in love, Fluff, M/M, Pining, slowburn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-06
Updated: 2018-09-23
Packaged: 2019-07-07 14:52:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 27,799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15910500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ninetyplanets/pseuds/ninetyplanets
Summary: “Have you ever been in love?”The sudden question knocks the wind out of Yamato. He snaps out of...whatever that fervent staring was, and gives Nagi a startled, confused expression. “Wuh- What?”(in which Yamato is in love with Mitsuki, and Mitsuki is in love with Yamato. a story on how the two finally stop being stubborn and admit the simple facts.)





	1. chapter 1

_Wwwwwwhhhhhrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr..............._

Yamato sets a beer can down (the seventh one now), in Musashi's line of sight. The roomba knocks into it, stops, continues its movement, bumps into the now tipped over beer can, and stops again. 

"You can do it," Yamato cheers. 

The Roomba cannot do it. It's a repetitive cycle of bumping into the beer can and stopping, although, to give Musashi props, with every bump, the beer can rolls forward juuuust a touch. If Musashi were a dog, it'd be whining now, confused by what its owner wants it to do. 

Yamato gets bored and throws the beer can away himself. 

"Do you need a friend, Musashi?" Yamato asks his little robotic buddy. "A girlfriend... Or a boyfriend, I won't judge, whatever you're into." 

Musashi slowly drifts by his feet without a word. 

"I wish... _I_ had a girlfriend." As he splays out on the floor, on his stomach, Yamato hiccups. "Or a boyfriend. You won't judge, right, Musashi?" 

Not a peep out of the Roomba. 

"Maybe..." Yamato turns his head to look at the Roomba, which has now come to a halt, taking a well-deserved rest after finishing its cleaning duties. "Musashi, what is this feeling?... Maybe... _we_ should date, Musashi..." 

The ear deafening sound of MATSURI fills the room as Yamato's ringtone goes off. Any signs of Yamato's drunken stupor fades as he jumps into the air and grabs his phone off from the coffee table, accepting the call before even checking to see who was calling him at this hour (what time even was it? Yamato couldn't remember after the third drink). 

"Yamato!" Nagi's voice screams in his ear, followed by hushed arguing that sounds unmistakably like Mitsuki. 

"It's not a prank call if he knows it's you!" 

"I have a very unique voice, Mitsuki," Nagi retaliates. "Anyone of refined taste would know it is I, Na-" 

There's loud ruffling noises on the other line. Yamato is too drunk to even begin comprehending what's happening, but there's a huge smile on his face regardless. 

"I'm not interested in whatever it is you're selling," Yamato says. 

"A free case of beer with any purchase over ¥1999!" Mitsuki chimes in. 

"You'll have to do better than that, Mitsu." 

"A date with the girl of your dreams!" Nagi yells. 

"You're driving a hard bargain now." 

There's a knock on his door, and the other line is filled with the sound of childish laughter. Yamato puts his phone down, slowly turns the doorknob, and prepares to scare the living shit out of Mitsuki and Nagi before-- 

"TWO BEST FRIENDS!" 

"FOR THE PRICE OF ONE!" 

Mitsuki and Nagi push the door fully open and pounce on Yamato before he even has a chance to speak. They topple to the floor in a mess of giggles, swarming him like flies, clinging to his arms, pinning him down as if they're wild bears. 

"Can I get my receipt?!" Yamato screams. "Can I return these friends of mine?!?" 

After roughly ten minutes of wrestling his "so-called-friends", in Yamato's own words, they all finally settle down and claim places on Yamato's bed, which is definitely too small to accommodate the three of them. Yamato sits with his back against the headboard, Nagi sits criss-cross-applesauce at the foot of the bed, and Mitsuki lays across Yamato's stretched out legs. 

"...And then," Nagi says, and makes finger guns, "after Kokona bravely disarms the dynamite wrapped around Nagisa with her ultra shotgun magical lovebeam, she uses her magical wand to warp them to a safe place, away from Dr. Yamfield." 

Yamato takes a _long_ minute to reply. "I have some criticism, if you don't mind." 

"Constructive criticism only." 

"Nagisa sounds suspiciously like a self insert character..." 

"No comment." 

"And why do I feel like Dr. Yamfield is supposed to be _me_?" 

"All characters and events depicted in this fanfiction are entirely fictitious. Any similarity to actual events or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental." 

Yamato rubs his temples and sighs hard. "Mitsu, what do you--" 

Somehow, they hadn't noticed the sound of gentle snoring between them. Mitsuki’s arms are wrapped tightly around one of Yamato's legs, hugging it close to his body; Yamato stares at him a little longer than he should, expression softening the way it always does when it comes to Mitsuki, and Nagi pretends not to notice the private exchange. 

“It looks like we are having a sleepover, then!” Nagi says, voice hushed. 

Yamato sighs, feigning unhappiness, yet the smile on his face tells a different story. His eyes glance to the alarm clock on the nightstand: 12:42 AM. In his drunken state earlier, he hadn’t exactly questioned why his two partners invited themselves over so late simply because he didn’t _know_ it was so late. It’s not like Yamato minds at all, though. He’s a terrible liar when it comes to Nagi and Mitsuki, despite the perfection of his acting prowess. The two seem to know him better than he even knows himself sometimes. 

“He works so hard every day...” Nagi knows that Yamato is talking about Mitsuki without having to ask. “He mauls me, then falls asleep ten minutes later? Lame... I thought we were gonna gossip or something all night.” 

Nagi quietly removes himself from the bed, tiptoeing to the closet and pulling out a sleeping bag. Yamato’s eyes are fixated on Mitsuki’s serene expression the entire time Nagi shuffles around. 

“Have you ever been in love?” 

The sudden question knocks the wind out of Yamato. He snaps out of...whatever that fervent staring was, and gives Nagi a startled, confused expression. “Wuh- What?” 

“Love is a beautiful and wonderful thing,” Nagi continues to say, while setting up his bedding on the floor. “It can be painful, confusing, and full of heartache. And sometimes, we don’t even realize we are in love.” 

Yamato’s gaze turns to his feet, which are very interesting right now, for some reason. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I mean...” He pauses. “I love IDOLiSH7. You know that.” 

Nagi smiles fondly at him, then at Mitsuki’s sleeping face, before tucking himself into the sleeping bag. “Love is also the most rewarding thing on this planet. I love all of my friends so dearly. Without you all, I don’t know if my life would have the same meaning and purpose that it has now.” 

"Nagi? You’re pretty, but you’re really weird.” 

Nagi chuckles. “Be sure to tell the people you love that you love them often.” 

Yamato’s head slowly turns towards Mitsuki again. His heart feels like it skips a few beats, which Yamato doesn’t understand, because Nagi’s monologue certainly has nothing to do with him or his feelings. He opens his mouth to say something, but when he looks down at Nagi, his eyes are closed, and he’s squeezing his Kokona plush like a lifeline. 

“...Goodnight,” Yamato murmurs to the room. 

\--------------- 

Nagi is sore in the morning. Between sleeping on the floor, and waking up multiple times due to Mitsuki and Yamato stepping on him when they had to pee in the middle of the night, he feels exhausted. Being woken up early for an 8 AM meeting didn’t help either; his usual pretty face looks zombified. 

Yamato and Mitsuki keep elbowing each other and giggling at his sour expressions. 

“Thank you all for waking up early on my behalf!” Everyone can tell Tsumugi’s comment is directed mostly at Nagi, and somewhat at Tamaki, whose head is resting on Sougo’s shoulder. “Re:vale couldn’t be here today because of an interview, but this new project was inspired by them... We’re planning on having them watch everyone’s acts, as sort of a thank-you present for always supporting us!” 

“You’ll all be put into pairs, and play the role of a married couple,” Banri chimes in. 

All seven of them go slack-jawed. Riku is the first to say, “Ooooooooooooh!!!” 

“Since we have an odd number in our group, TRIGGER has kindly offered to take part in this as well. I’m sure some of you may have your own reservations about this, but...” 

Nagi is the first to cut off Tsumugi’s line of thought, his previous tiredness seeming to fade in an instant. “Nonsense! If we are doing this for Re:vale, our beloved senpai, then nothing is off limits!” 

Sougo covers his mouth and giggles. “I do agree with Nagi-kun. Plus, I don’t think it’s the strangest thing we’ve ever had to do...” 

“You just want to be paired with someone from TRIGGER,” Tamaki drawls. 

“H-Hey!” 

Iori clears his throat. “Do you have the pairs already set up?” 

Tsumugi nods, a fire in her eyes as she grabs her notebook off the desk. “Our first pair will be: Iori-san and Riku-san!” 

All heads turn to them. Riku gasps and grabs Iori’s shoulders more dramatically than Iori would like, and Iori is left speechless, his face quickly turning the same shade as Riku’s hair. 

“How cute,” Mitsuki chirps, and Iori _whines_ in agony. 

“You two will be acting out an argument,” Banri explains. “Riku-kun wants to go out for dinner, but Iori-kun insists that you should eat at home, as there is plenty of food in the fridge.” 

“An argument?” Iori’s entire demeanor changes as he relaxes. “That’ll be simple enough. We already do that every day, due to Nanase-san’s stupidity.” 

Riku pouts in an instant. “Say that again, you brat!” 

Banri raises a hand to interrupt them. “The resolve of the conflict is up for you two to decide. However, it must end with a kiss to prove that even through arguments, you still love each other.” 

“Oh--” Iori feels like he might pass out. 

“I’ve never kissed anyone before...” Riku sputters, eyes drilling holes into Iori’s skull. 

Iori all but whimpers, “Please, stop staring at me like that...” 

“I’m sorry,” Tsumugi croaks, then clears her throat and continues: “The next pair will be... “Nagi-san and Yaotome-san!” 

“ _Oh!_!” Nagi exclaims, eyes seeming to sparkle. 

“I apologize that TRIGGER couldn’t be here today for this meeting, but they have already been informed of the project,” Tsumugi states. “Yaotome-san seemed very surprised to be paired with Nagi-san, and said it will be a struggle to keep up his position of #1 most desired embrace while standing next to such a gorgeous man!” 

Nagi holds his hands to his chest. “A man after my own heart... If only he were a beautiful woman.” 

Mitsuki and Yamato both roll their eyes at each other. 

“As for your acting role,” Banri begins, “you two will be shopping for new clothes, and Nagi-kun asks Gaku-kun how his butt looks in a pair of jeans.” 

“You’re kidding, right?!” Mitsuki has to cover his mouth before he practically explodes. 

“I am, actually,” Banri says sheepishly. “But doesn’t it seem like something Momo-kun and Yuki would do?” 

“I want to do it,” Nagi says. His oh-so-serious tone catches everyone off guard. “In the spirit of Re:vale’s undying love, I, too, would like to do anything they would do.” 

Banri coughs. “I don’t know how Gaku-kun would...” 

“He will compliment my butt like a man.” 

Tsumugi waves her notebook in the air. “A-anyway, next pair!” All seven of them stare in anticipation. “Sougo-san and Tsunashi-san!” 

Sougo’s fingernails dig into Tamaki’s arm with such force that the younger boy cries out. His aura becomes so sinister that everyone in the room can feel it. 

“S-Sougo-san?!” Tsumugi grips her notebook in fear. “If you have a problem, we can switch--” 

“No!” Sougo barks. He clears his throat, releases his iron grip on Tamaki, and composes himself. “No, thank you. I am very happy to be put together with Tsunashi-san. This is a wonderful opportunity; him and I work very well together.” 

“I thought I was gonna die,” Tamaki cries. 

“Since Sougo-kun is such a big TRIGGER fan,” Banri starts, “we thought it would be fitting for you two to play something slightly different from the others. Instead of being married, you two will have a secret, forbidden relationship. A fan dating a famous band member!” 

Sougo’s iron grip nearly takes affect again until Tamaki quickly interjects. “So, does that mean I’m paired with Mikki? Or Yama-san?” 

“Actually, you’ll be with Kujo-san!” Tsumugi declares. 

“Ah,” Yamato mumbles to himself, subtly looking at Mitsuki, realizing what that entails. 

“Tenten?” Tamaki repeats. “Mm, that’s fine. I like him. He feeds me a lot.” 

Tsumugi smiles at his words. “Both Tsunashi-san and Kujo-san seemed very happy with their partners! Tsunashi-san said he always has a good time when Sougo-san is involved, and even Kujo-san said that it’s never boring with Tamaki-san around.” 

Tamaki beams proudly at the compliment, with which Sougo pats his head for being praised. 

Mitsuki and Yamato are left to share glances with one another. Mitsuki’s grinning, a bit bashfully, Yamato notices, or maybe it’s simply in his imagination. He could just be trying to hold in his laughter at the concept of having to pretend to be married someone like Yamato, of all people. 

“So, I’m stuck with this guy, huh?” Yamato teases, shaking Mitsuki’s shoulders. Mitsuki bats his hands away, but laughs nonetheless. “Don’t you think he’d get mistaken for my son, not my husband?” Too far. Mitsuki grabs one of Yamato’s hands and squeezes it so hard that it almost turns purple, and Yamato yelps, quickly conceding defeat. 

“Ah, we almost forgot,” Banri cuts in. “Tamaki-kun. In your role, Tenn-kun will play your elderly, sick husband, who is in the hospital. You will be saying your final goodbyes to him.” 

“Isn’t that really depressing?!” Riku’s frowning so hard that it looks painful. “Tenn-nii, of all people... I might cry having to watch that...” 

“That’ll really tug on Momo-san's and Yuki-san's heartstrings, don’t you think?” Mitsuki says. “Momo-san would say something like, ‘Yuki, darling! I want us to grow old together like that!’” 

“And then,” Yamato joins in, “Yuki-san would say something like, ‘I don’t want you to die before me, Momo.’” 

“‘Yuki!!! So handsome! What a gentleman! I’d never leave you all alone!!!’” 

Yamato and Mitsuki nearly double over laughing until Banri starts speaking again: 

“Yamato-kun, your role will be proposing to Mitsuki-kun. And please, Mitsuki-kun, don’t reject him.” 

Coughing fills the room as Yamato seemingly chokes on air. 

“Are you that opposed to the idea?!” Mitsuki barks. 

“I hope no one is disappointed with their partners and roles!” Tsumugi says, bowing her head. “Also... I know this is entirely last minute, but you’ll be performing these...tonight...” 

Everyone shouts a loud “Eeeeeeeeeh?!?!”, causing Tsumugi to bow her head again. “Think of it as an improv project! Please, everyone, do your best... I know you can do it! And it’s not like it’ll be aired on television, or anything!” 

“Actually,” Banri’s interjection causes everyone, even Tsumugi, to look frantic. “Our president wanted us to perform this for tomorrow night’s episode of NEXT Re:vale.” 

Mitsuki rubs the back of his head, letting out a relieved sigh. “Ah... For some reason, that makes it more fun! If we mess up, the audience will just think of it as a funny comedy act.” 

“I wish I had your optimism, Nii-san...” Iori looks blue in the face. “That means... The whole world will see me and Nanase-san...” 

“...Kissing...” Riku finishes for him. 

“Better start practicing!” Yamato rises from his seat and slaps them both on the back, in which they both recoil in surprise. 

Tsumugi and Banri wrap up the meeting with minor details and explanations, letting the members paired with someone from TRIGGER know that the group will be visiting the dorms later in the evening for any practice or discussion. Tsumugi couldn’t stop herself from frantically apologizing about this being such a last minute decision, but everyone was sure to let her know that they were happy to do this for Re:vale. As everyone disperses to do their own preparations (Riku and Iori shyly avoiding eye contact), Mitsuki, Yamato and Nagi make the decision to go out for takoyaki and ice cream. 

“Did you see Iori’s face?” Mitsuki holds back a laugh. “He’s so cute! He has it bad for Riku, so it only figures they would get paired together.” 

“WHAT?!” Nagi’s shout is so loud that everyone in the restaurant pauses for a moment to look their way. Even Yamato raises his eyebrows at Mitsuki’s comment. 

“Oh, oops. Did I say too much?” Mitsuki innocently licks at his ice cream cone. “I thought it was kind of obvious, but maybe it’s because I'm his older brother that I notice these things.” 

Yamato waggles his takoyaki stick in the air in thought. “Now that you mention it, I guess I can see it,” he says, then takes a bite. “The way he’s always staring at Riku with those big doe eyes that say, ‘I’m secretly in love with you!’” 

Nagi flashes Yamato an incriminating look, but it goes unnoticed. 

“How do you feel about working with Yaotome, Nagi?” Yamato asks. “I’d be intimidated, to say the least! The dude’s sexy as hell.” 

“You’re already cheating on me?!” Mitsuki hisses. 

Their banter doesn’t faze Nagi. His eyes are closed in pure concentration. “I will not lose to him.” 

Yamato and Mitsuki both look at him quizzically. “Huh?” 

\---------------- 

“Will you marry me?” Yamato, on one knee, holds a ring pop out for Mitsuki. 

“Oh, yes, of course, darling!” Mitsuki graciously accepts the ring pop and slides it onto his ring finger. “I thought you’d never ask!” 

Yamato droops his head in defeat. “This isn’t working.” 

“For an actor, you’re pretty sucky right now.” 

Yamato snatches the ring pop back from Mitsuki. “Forget it! I want a divorce!” 

“We aren’t even married yet, senile old man!” 

Sighing, Yamato flops down on Mitsuki’s bed, grabbing the beer bottle on the nightstand. Mitsuki joins him, sitting next to him, chin in hands, deeply contemplating their next move. Yamato knows why this isn’t working; it’s Mitsuki, if it was anyone other than Mitsuki he could fake it til he made it, and knowing that’s the reason why is killing him. _Something_ about acting with Mitsuki makes him second guess everything he’s doing. The innocence in his eyes always has Yamato asking, “is this okay?”, even when the situation doesn’t call for it. 

“Maybe it’s because we’re treating it like a joke? Like a comedy segment for the show?” Mitsuki suggests. “If we throw out that idea and act like it’s serious...” 

Yamato’s heart beats a little faster. He stands up from the bed, then gets down on one knee once more in front of Mitsuki. “I’ve loved you since the day I first laid eyes on you, Mitsuki Izumi.” 

“Whoa!” Mitsuki gasps, then covers his mouth as he laughs. “That was scary good just now! I almost believed it for a second!” 

The weird pang in his chest isn’t something Yamato wants to acknowledge. “Do you think we should kiss, like Ichi and Riku?” 

He stands up and towers over Mitsuki, leaning in close, _too_ close for comfort, but Mitsuki doesn’t back off. Their noses brush against each other before Yamato pins his arms on either side of Mitsuki, which causes the smaller boy to squeak and move further back on the bed; Yamato only follows him and stares into Mitsuki’s eyes with something the other boy can only describe as pure hunger. Yamato’s lips part, the scent of alcohol heavy on his breath. The back of Mitsuki’s head bumps against the headboard. 

“H-hey, Yamato-san...” 

Yamato jolts away from Mitsuki, laughing like a crazy person. “You’re cute, Mitsu~ Oniisan was only playing~ It’s so rare to you see caught off guard like that.” 

Mitsuki’s pulse is thrumming in his ears. “Ugh! You piss me off! That would be a little too adult-themed for a live show, don’t you think?!” 

After a good five minutes of bickering, Mitsuki concluding that Yamato is too drunk for them to practice properly, Yamato grabs his bag and heads back to his own room, blowing Mitsuki a kiss on the way out. Mitsuki buries his face into a pillow, mumbling, “You piss me off! Pisses me off!” over and over to himself. An impromptu show would feel more believable than a practiced, staged performance anyway, Mitsuki figures. He just has to remember the words Banri told him: don’t reject Yamato’s marriage proposal. After Yamato’s actions tonight, that demand is sounding more and more impossible to follow. Despite that initial train of thought, Mitsuki catches himself smiling. 

\--------------------- 

“Kouhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaai!!!” 

Momo’s voice booms throughout the whole building as he runs down the hallway at full speed. Riku braces himself for impact as Momo collides with his body and brings him into a warm, strong embrace; Riku laughs brightly and hugs his senpai back just as tight. Yuki quietly trails behind him, a gentle smile on his otherwise calm face. 

Momo ruffles Riku’s hair before finally letting go of him. “I’m so happy you’re on our show tonight! Is there a special occasion?!” 

“Perhaps a surprise gift for us?” Yuki chimes in. 

"Man, he hit it right on the nose,” Yamato whispers. 

Iori clears his throat. “Just a simple business opportunity, to get our names out there even more.” 

Momo gravitates from Riku to Iori, Yuki following him; they simultaneously pinch his cheeks. “That’s his way of saying he loves us, right?” Momo chirps. 

“He’s like our cute son,” Yuki coos. 

Iori groans in agony, batting the two older men’s hands away from him. Fortunately, he’s rescued by the arrival of TRIGGER. All three of them strut up to the group in perfect alignment; Yamato in that moment finds himself wondering how they do that. Do they practice it? Do they choreograph their walk cycles so that they’re always perfect? 

Momo’s attention hops over to Ryunosuke, as he quite literally _hops_ onto the taller man, who clumsily catches him by the waist. “Wh-whoa! Hey, give me a warning next time, I almost dropped you!” 

“I knew you’d catch me!” Momo beams. 

“Thank you for having us tonight,” Tenn says stiffly. “I’m sure you weren’t--” 

He’s cut off by Tamaki striding up to him and wrapping an arm around his shoulders. “Tenten! Are you ready to die tonight?” 

Momo and Yuki both whip their heads around in shock. Tenn quickly slaps a hand over Tamaki’s mouth, and Iori looks ready to scream as he drags Tamaki away from him, scolding something harsh under his breath. Gaku and Ryunosuke have to turn around and try their damned hardest not to let anyone know they’re about to lose their composure. 

The show starts out normally, as planned. Momo and Yuki introduce themselves, flirting right off the bat, Momo holding Yuki’s hand for so long at one point that even he gets flustered upon realizing it, in which Yuki tells him that he can hold onto him forever if he’d like, which causes the audience to go batshit crazy with the cheering. 

Yamato grimaces backstage. “I should be used to it by now, but I always wonder how they do that without getting embarrassed.” 

“I mean...” Sougo wears a soft expression. “They do it all the time anyway, right? I suppose it isn’t much different doing it on stage.” 

“I hope you are ready to grab my rear end for the sake of our lovely fans, Yaotome-shi,” Nagi says with the utmost serious tone. 

Gaku blinks helplessly. “Run that by me again?” 

Yamato’s laugh comes out as a bark; Mitsuki in tow can’t even pretend to stifle his laughter. The two desperately try to compose themselves as IDOLiSH7 is announced onstage. Riku runs out on stage first, a burst of energy to the crowd, and Mitsuki chases after him, not wanting to be outdone. Yamato’s smile widens as he follows behind the group that he loves so much. 

“Helloooooooooo everyone!!” Riku cheers, waving his arms in the air enthusiastically. “We’re so happy to be here tonight!” 

“It wouldn’t be the same without us, right?!” Mitsuki echoes. 

The audience claps and laughs as IDOLiSH7 takes their seats. Three empty seats remain, which leaves the fans whispering and chattering amongst themselves. A shout is heard from the distance: “TRIGGER?!”, which leaves IDOLiSH7 and Re:vale laughing. 

“Are we just peanuts to you guys?!” Tamaki shouts; Iori claps a hand over his mouth. 

Yuki motions for the audience to relax, yet they’re still jostling around in excitement in their seats. “We were going to hold off until later, but now it seems it would be rude to keep everyone waiting.” 

“So generous of you, Yuki, always thinking of the audience’s feelings!” Momo purrs. 

Needing no introduction, TRIGGER steps out onto the stage so gallantly that they look like knights preparing for battle. The audience all but _screams_ , the deafening uproar making IDOLiSH7 feel as if they were the appetizer, and TRIGGER is the main course. They wave to their fans, make small talk with both IDOLiSH7 and Re:vale, then take their seats within the group. The usual banter ensues: Momo saying something off the wall, Mitsuki replying effortlessly; Yuki saying something obviously perverted and Ryunosuke not understanding what it means; Riku and Iori bickering, Sougo trying to end the bickering, Tamaki joining in on the bickering to agitate the situation; Yamato and Gaku simultaneously sighing together like two parents unaware of how to make their children behave. 

“The time really flew by, huh!” Momo frowns upon realizing their time is almost up. “It looks like it’s almost time to wrap up our show. Do you have anything to say, IDOLiSH7?” 

Iori feels like he’s going to throw up when he stands up from his seat. _It's just for fun, it doesn’t matter if I mess up, it won’t ruin our reputation._

“I just want to know why Nanase-san keeps insisting that we should go to MicDonald’s tonight, even though we have soba at home.” 

“Ooooooooh?!” Momo and Yuki both cry out at the same time, along with the audience. 

“Soba,” Gaku mutters to himself. “Nice choice, Izumi-otouto.” 

Riku storms out of his seat, center stage, and Iori follows him, feigning a look of pure rage as the redhead angrily points a finger at him. “You know I hate soba!” Riku counters. “And MicDonald’s has plenty of options for you to choose from, such as the MicNuggets!” 

Is this an advertising campaign? Iori has to stop himself from smiling at Riku’s adorable, terrible acting. “No means no... Honey.” 

The gasp from the audience nearly has Iori losing his cool demeanor. Momo’s mouth is agape, eyes huge, and he’s rapidly shaking Yuki’s shoulders as they watch the scene unfold before them, neither of them knowing if they should interrupt when clearly no one else seems to be concerned. 

“If you dislike soba that much, I have no qualms with making something else,” Iori continues, breaking the distance between him and Riku as he steps forward. 

Riku pouts, a _humph_ escaping him. “Will you make me lobster? And steak? And that yummy cheesecake you made for our honeymoon?” 

An arrow shoots through Iori’s heart. Whatever that was, it was _super_ effective; Iori mentally takes back insulting Riku’s acting for even a second. The audience is _literally_ at the edge of their seats, some of them even standing up and whooping. 

“Anything for you, darling...” This is it. The feeling in Iori’s stomach is indescribable as he moves closer, and closer, so close to Riku that now their foreheads are touching, and he wonders if Riku can hear how loud his heartbeat is as he leans in-- 

“I forgot!” Tsumugi screams to herself backstage, hitting herself in the head with her notebook with a loud _thwack!_ “I forgot to tell them we got rid of the kiss scene!” 

It’s Mitsuki that quickly runs onstage before he has to witness his brother accidentally going too far. “Boys, boys, don’t worry! I’m sure Iori will let you have MicDonald’s another night, right, Riku?!” 

Riku parts his lips and breathes shallowly as Iori shyly stumbles backwards. “R... Right! Of course!” He scratches the back of his head awkwardly. “Ah, sweetie! I’m not mad at you!” 

The two of them giggle like awkward teenagers as Riku grabs Iori’s hand; they shuffle back to their seats, smiling, but avoiding eye contact with each other. Tsumugi is sure the whole world could hear her huge sigh of relief. Once she realized the amount of rumors a kiss between the two of them would stir up, she didn’t want to put either of their careers, or lives for that matter, in jeopardy. Unfortunately, as Tsumugi knows...some fans can go a little rabid upon finding out their favorite idol is no longer an “eligible bachelor”. 

“What was that?!” Momo stands up and claps for the two, who nervously laugh with him. “That almost gave me and Yuki a run for our money! But it was so amazing! When did you two get hitched?!” 

“N-no,” Iori squeaks, ignoring Riku when he looks over at him, “actually, this was a surprise present we all planned for you...” 

“Iori, Iori! So cute!” Mitsuki pats his little brother’s back. "You really made it hard for us to compare to you, you know?!” 

“Ah, there’s more?” Yuki claps his hands together. “Are we allowed to let the show run overtime? Well, the show airing after us probably isn’t that important.” 

“Yuki! You can’t say that! I’m sure the show after ours is just as great!” 

“Not as great as you, Momo.” 

“Yuki...” 

When Nagi and Gaku come walking down from their seats, the audience goes completely silent, not knowing at all what to expect from the striking pair. Momo holds onto Yuki’s arm in anticipation for the next act, eyes filled with a fiery passion. A few cries of, “Yaotome-saaaaaaan!” and “Nagi-saaaaaaaaaaaaan!” are the only voices heard as everyone, even IDOLiSH7 and TRIGGER, stare anxiously at the two men center stage. 

A smack echoes throughout the building as Nagi bends over and spanks his own ass. 

“Oh, _God_ ,” Sougo cries, covering Tamaki’s eyes like a parent would. 

“What do you think, _baby_?” Nagi says, WAY too seductively (this is a family friendly program, right?). “I bought these jeans just for you to see me in them.” 

“Sweet cheeks,” Gaku says, monotone, supposedly unfazed, “you look so hot. I want to rip those off of you right now.” 

Yuki is in pure agony trying not to crack the hell up on camera. He’s doubled over in his seat, covering his mouth, hiding his watering eyes from the viewers. Momo’s buried his face in Yuki’s back, his fist hitting the back of the chair as his body trembles from laughter. The audience, on the other hand, is whooping and hollering like their lives depend on it. 

Their act ends _fast_. They continued the horrendous flirting for another minute, until Nagi bent over once more and unbuckled his belt, in which even Gaku was caught off guard; it’s then that Sougo bolts down the stage, Ryunosuke catching the drift and following behind him. 

“A wonderful performance from our Nagi-kun and Yaotome-san, right?!” Sougo says to the audience, breathlessly. 

“But I wasn’t done--” 

Gaku grabs Nagi by the wrist and drags him back to their seats, points down to Nagi’s pants silently, a reminder to please, please, buckle your belt, hopefully all the children that watch this show are fast asleep in bed, their tender eyes not being tainted by Nagi’s ass in the air. 

Ryunosuke’s and Sougo’s performance was more heartfelt than a comedy act. They’d decided to go for a melodramatic route; Sougo, a simple fanboy, feeling undeserving of Ryunosuke’s love, left a note and ran far away from home. 

“I don’t want to ruin your career,” Ryunosuke reads the fake letter out loud to the audience. “You deserve a better life than the one someone like me can give you. I’m in love with you, and I don’t think I will ever stop being in love with you, and that is why I must do the right thing and let you live your fullest life, without me in it.” 

Ryunosuke crumples the letter up and runs backstage. The audience looks around, gasping, wondering what’s going to happen next; Momo whispers into Yuki’s ear about how this is so much like a soap opera that he doesn’t want it to end. Then, the missing Sougo walks back onto stage, a suitcase in hand. 

“I’ll miss you,” Sougo whispers to himself, looking back over his shoulder sadly. 

It’s then that Ryunosuke runs back onto stage, out of breath, frantically calling out Sougo’s stage name. He effortlessly lifts Sougo up, the latter dropping his suitcase in genuine surprise at the act as Ryunosuke spins him in the air and holds him close to his chest. Sougo’s face is , even worse than Iori’s when he was about to be kissed for the first time, and Ryunosuke laughs, a pure, out of character laugh that’s personal and shared just between them before he continues on with his acting. 

“How did you find me?” Sougo finally asks, once Ryunosuke loosens his tight embrace on him. 

“We met here, remember?” Ryunosuke looks fondly around the stage, as if it were filled with hundreds of memories that only the two of them know about. “I had a feeling in my gut... Listen, Sougo-kun--” 

Ah, shit, he accidentally broke character, and Sougo’s heart pounds like a drum, but Ryunosuke doesn’t even realize he’s used Sougo’s real name instead of the fake names they agreed upon, but luckily the audience is too absorbed in the drama to have taken notice, either. 

“I would rather lose everything I have now before I lose you,” Ryunosuke says, bringing a hand down to cup Sougo’s chin. “I’m in love with you, Sougo-kun. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. You mean more to me than my career ever will.” 

_Fuck, fuck, fuck!_ Sougo almost stutters as he opens his mouth: “I’m in love with you too...Tsunashi-san. ...Let’s go home.” 

They hold hands and walk back to their seats, both bashfully smiling at each other. Momo stands up and voraciously claps so hard that his hands hurt, but he can’t stop, and now he’s crying from how beautiful that performance was. Even Yuki next to him dabs at his eyes. The audience follows suit in Momo’s actions, standing up and cheering, then IDOLiSH7 and TRIGGER do the same. 

“Sou-chan...” Tamaki scowls. “Me and Tenten were supposed to have the heart-wrenching performance... You sneaky little thief.” Regardless, he pats Sougo on the back, unable to hide the pride welling up from how well his teammate performed. 

“S-Sougo,” Momo says weakly, “Ryu... You guys... I’m...” 

Yuki pats his partner’s back in comfort as Momo chokes back sobs. Tamaki, not wanting to be beat, runs down to center stage, beckoning Tenn to follow him. Silence hits the area once again as everyone wonders what type of performance could take place after the previous one. The first thing Tenn does is lay down on the ground, on his back, and holds his hands to his heart; Tamaki kneels down next to him and gently takes holds of Tenn’s hands, which are soft, Tamaki notices. 

“Do you remember,” Tamaki begins, his voice softer than Sougo can ever recollect, “that time when we ditched class to go to the movies?” 

Tenn feigns a coughing fit, which strikes a chord deep inside Riku. “You wanted to see that new alien movie... But all the showings were sold out...” Tenn smiles at the figurative memory. 

“And, and, remember how then, they asked, ‘Wait, how old are you kids? Shouldn’t you be in school?’ And we turned around and ran out so fast, we were laughing so hard, and it was pouring down rain.” 

Tenn rubs a thumb against Tamaki’s calloused palms. He starts coughing again, and Tamaki frowns deeply, holding his hands even tighter. “W-we stood under that bus stop to get out of the rain,” Tenn says. “And then you kissed me for the first time.” 

Tears well up in Tamaki’s eyes. He leans down and presses his lips against Tenn’s forehead; Tenn is caught off guard, but doesn’t show it, thankful the audience doesn’t make a scene of it. The atmosphere from the scene must be too somber and serious for anyone to dare interrupt it. 

“When I pulled away, remember what you said?” Tamaki asks. 

A tear runs down Tenn’s cheek, and Tamaki wipes it away gently. “I said...” He coughs, and can’t stop this time. Tamaki grips his hands for a lifeline and cries out for a nurse; well, it wasn’t expected, but no one wanted to leave Tamaki hanging in the reigns of a performance like this. Sougo comes running back down from his seat and kneels beside Tamaki. He plays fake doctor, praying the audience’s vision is too blurry from crying to see that he’s just mindlessly flailing his arms on Tenn’s chest. 

“I love you,” Tamaki chokes, his voice cracking in a way that makes it sound so desperately real. He holds Tenn in his arms and buries his face into his neck, and oh, he smells good, Tamaki notices. “I love you, please, I love you so much, don’t die on me--” 

Tenn’s coughing abruptly comes to a halt, and his body goes limp in Tamaki’s arms. Tamaki’s a mess of tears as he looks down at Tenn’s pale face. He’s quiet, and the audience is silent aside from loud sniffling, and Momo’s practically whimpering in his seat. Even cool guy Gaku is trying to keep his composure. 

“You said...” Tamaki brushes Tenn’s hair behind his ear. “You said... ‘It took you long enough, idiot.’” 

Tenn springs back to life and stands up, gives a little wave to the audience, and smiles at Tamaki before going back to his seat, Tamaki following after him like a little puppy once he bows to the audience and thanks them for watching his performance. 

"I don’t want you to die before me, Momo,” Yuki says, holding his partner’s hands. 

“Yuki...! I’ll never leave you alone, Yuki! I won’t die like Tenn did!” 

Tenn blinks. “Wait, I’m not actually dead, you know.” 

Why are Yamato’s hands so clammy? Nothing even close to nerves wracked his body until the realization that his turn is up next. Mitsuki smiles at him so brightly that it makes his stomach hurt. Mitsuki hops out of his seat and bounds down to center stage, and it takes Yamato a second (that feels like an eternity) to get up and follow him. He must’ve eaten something weird before the program started. All this talk of love in the performances are making his gut gurgle. 

As if on cue, Mitsuki loops an arm around Yamato and walks across the stage, Yamato taking his lead. _It’s not so bad now that I’m down here,_ Yamato thinks to himself. _Maybe I just had to shit or something?_

“Look, a fountain!” Mitsuki points to nothing in particular, but the boundless energy in his voice makes everyone believe that there really is a fountain in the middle of the stage. “If you throw money in and make a wish, it’s supposed to come true.” 

Yamato digs in his pockets for spare change; coincidentally, he finds a ¥1 and hands it to Mitsuki. “Here, you use it, darling,” Yamato says. “All my wishes have already come true.” 

_Oh, cheesy!_ Mitsuki thinks to himself, but smiles wide. He tosses the coin into the audience; a girl cries out as she jumps up to catch it, and starts to cry as she holds the coin to her chest. Mitsuki closes his eyes and whispers under his breath, proclaiming a secret wish that not even Yamato next to him can hear. 

“Okay!” Mitsuki announces. He clings tighter to Yamato’s arm. _Cute,_ Yamato’s internal monologue goes off. “We can go now! I’m done.” 

“Mm? That’s it?” Yamato pushes Mitsuki’s bangs out of his face adoringly. “You’re not going to tell me what you wished for?” 

“Dummy! If I tell you, it won’t come true.” 

Yamato smiles (he can’t stop smiling unintentionally, suddenly) and makes a soft noise in understanding. They pretend to carry on their merry way, circling the stage and pointing at things that don’t exist, until Yamato pauses and unloops his arm from Mitsuki’s. Mitsuki hadn’t seen that coming, but he stays on his toes and doesn’t let Yamato catch him by surprise. 

“What is it, cupcake?” Mitsuki coos. 

Cupcake... Oh, he’s really trying to kill Yamato, isn’t he? That hard shit feeling bubbles up in Yamato’s innards again. Crapping his pants on stage would _not_ be the desired result. Mitsuki looks at him with those big, gentle eyes, full of nothing but undying affection for this fake version of Yamato. 

“My cute Mitsuki...” Yamato’s voice is uncharacteristically sweet. “How long have we been together, now?” 

Mitsuki’s hands fly to his hips. “Huh?! Are you telling me you forgot!” 

“No, no!" A charming laugh escapes Yamato. Even when they’re acting, Mitsuki is still his usual self... “Just tell me, darling.” 

Mitsuki wavers, but only for a second. “Three years now.” 

In the back of his head, Yamato has always wished he’d met Mitsuki sooner. Three years prior isn’t even enough for him; his mind often wanders, thinking that, if they had met as kids, what kind of place would they be in now? Would Yamato’s life be completely different, and would they both be in IDOLiSH7 right now, on stage, acting this out? Yamato, upon looking at Mitsuki, has always had the thought, ‘I wish I’d met you sooner.’ Maybe even, perhaps, if his whole life would be different because of it. 

“I’ve been in love with you for three years,” Yamato says effortlessly. “Every single day has been a gift with you in it, Mitsu. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, forever, if you’d let me.” 

Mitsuki knows what’s coming, yet his pulse still quickens as Yamato kneels down on one knee, and looks up at him with an expression that Mitsuki has never in his life seen before. “Yama... Yamato-san.” 

“You make me want to be a better man. You make me want to be honest with myself, and everyone around me. You make me want to be kinder, softer, and more thoughtful. I can’t imagine a life without my Mitsu in it.” 

Does he really have to keep using his name? Did Sougo feel like this when Ryunosuke slipped up and used his real name... 

Yamato reaches in his back pocket and pulls out a jewelry box and, holy _shit_ , Mitsuki literally _gasps_ when Yamato opens it. A shining emerald is encrusted in the silver ring, which has the Nikaido’s family name carved into it; anyone from just a glance could tell this thing is expensive and real and genuine, and why is Yamato using something like this in a simple performance?! 

“Will you marry me, Mitsuki Izumi?” 

Mitsuki, who is always prepared for any and every situation, falters for a second too long. He knows it, and Yamato knows it, all of IDOLiSH7 and TRIGGER and even Re:vale knows it, but the audience thinks of it as just a suspenseful pause before the final climax. 

“Yes!” Mitsuki finally cries out, his voice so noticeably cracking. Yamato jumps up to embrace Mitsuki so warmly and tenderly that the smaller boy’s whole body feels like mushy mashed potatoes. “I love you, Yamato, of course, I’ll marry you!” 

They pull apart from the hug and gaze into each other’s eyes for a split second that feels like hours. Yamato slides the ring onto Mitsuki’s finger, stares fondly at the sight, then brings Mitsuki back into another hug that’s even better than the last one. 

Momo claps louder than anyone in the audience could even dare to compete with, whooping and hollering so enthusiastically that even Yuki next to him can’t help but start a raucous cheer of his own. 

\----------------------- 

Mitsuki stares at the ceiling of his room. Iori, laying on the floor next to him, also stares at the ceiling of his older brother’s room. Their silence isn’t an awkward one, but more of a deep, thoughtful, contemplative one. 

“Did you want to kiss him?” Mitsuki finally breaks the silence. 

It makes Iori hack a little. “Of course not. He’s my teammate. I would never think of him in that way.” 

Mitsuki turns his head, furrowing his eyebrows. “You’re a terrible liar, you know... It’s cute.” 

Pouting, Iori rolls on his side, turning his back to his brother. It makes Mitsuki laugh, knowing he struck a truth chord with him. He knows better than to press the topic, though. Iori’s feelings and emotions get jumbled in his head too easily, and cause him to stress out almost as badly as Sougo. 

“Did you want to marry him?” Iori asks. 

Mitsuki clamps his mouth shut. 

“It’d be weird if you got married, Nii-san,” Iori continues. “Especially to Nikaido-san. He’d be my brother-in-law then, huh... He’d get drunk at our family get-togethers...” 

“I’m not getting married, Iori,” Mitsuki says sheepishly. 

Iori rolls over to face Mitsuki. “I know,” he says. “I don’t want you to get married. But, if you ever do, I would allow you to marry Nikaido-san. I’ve made up my mind.” 

“Thank you for your blessing?” Mitsuki grins and pats Iori’s head. “Hey, you should head back to your room. It’s getting late. You’re tired, you’re saying weird things.” 

Iori grumbles. The sleep deprivation is apparent on his face; he gives Mitsuki a half-hearted hug before waving goodbye and heading back to his room. He wanted to stay there with Mitsuki, and he knew it, and feels a little guilty for denying his little brother that, but he felt like being alone for the night. 

Mitsuki lifts himself up off the floor and turns the lights out. He crawls into bed and checks his phone; on Rabbitter, Yamato uploaded a selfie with Mitsuki peace signing next to him, with the caption: “Just got hitched! #LOL #JK #IMSINGLE”. Mitsuki smiles, liking and rerabbitting it. 

“Mitsuki Nikaido...” Mitsuki looks at his finger that previously had the ring on it. “Yamato Izumi? Would he do that? Probably not... He’s so selfish...”


	2. chapter 2

Limiting Ryunosuke’s alcohol intake is never as easy as Momo or Mitsuki think it will be. He’s surprisingly a lightweight, so it only takes a few drinks before he’s stripping and dancing on the table; the other two _know_ this, so Mitsuki started tonight’s sleepover off with: “Tsunashi-san, you can only have two beers tonight.” It earned him a disappointed whine in return, but Ryunosuke agreed. A buzzed drunk is fine; they all enjoy being a little stupid together, but waking up with killer hangovers does not fit tomorrow’s schedule. 

They’re all in their pajamas, laying on a pile of blankets and pillows on the floor. A movie is playing in the background just for some noise, yet Mitsuki keeps finding himself glancing over to watch it in between chatter. Mostly because, well, it’s one that Yamato is featured in, only as a minor side character, but... 

“I have a game for us,” Momo says, sloshing the glass of wine in his hand. “Fuck, marry, kill.” 

Ryunosuke downs his second beer with gusto. “Ya want us to kill someone? Who?” 

“I don’t think I like how casually you went along with that...” Mitsuki murmurs. 

“No, no, look!” Momo’s snorting already. “Okay, so like... Gaku, Tenn, and Sougo. Of those three, who would you fuck, marry, and kill?” 

The most serious expression takes over Ryunosuke’s features. “I will NOT kill my friends.” 

“He’s taking this too seriously,” Mitsuki whispers to Momo. 

Momo claps. “Instead of kill, how about kiss?” 

“F-fuck,” even while tipsy, Ryunosuke still stutters over that word, “fuck Gaku, marry Sougo-kun, kiss Tenn.” 

Mitsuki and Momo glance at each other, then back at Ryunosuke. “You answered so fast,” they say simultaneously. 

“Is that bad?” Ryunosuke hiccups. 

Momo sets his wine down on the table. A fiery look is in his eyes, and Mitsuki can only tell this is going to go downhill because of what he’s started. Once Momo finds out you like someone, it’s truly game over; he will hound the information out of you and then taunt with you it. Mitsuki, thankfully, somehow, has not been prodded with crush questions. 

Well, not yet, anyway. 

“Marry Sougo, huuuh?” Momo drawls. He somehow got closer to Ryunosuke without the former realizing it until he’s being elbowed in the gut. “How do you feel about Sougo?” 

“Going in for the kill, huh?” Mitsuki sounds almost sympathetic. 

Ryunosuke, however, shows no cowardice in his current state of mind. “He’s so sweet... He’s like, real gentle, and cares about everyone a whole lot, an’ his cooking is good... Ain’t he kinda like a wife? Hahaha.” 

Mitsuki and Momo once again share glances. A silent look of understanding that if Ryunosuke thinks Sougo’s cooking is _good_ , then he’s more whipped than either of them could have thought. Momo almost thinks to ask more about how he said he’d fuck Gaku, but it’s basically known to everyone how Ryunosuke has major crushes on his fellow TRIGGER members, what with the way he talks about them and even just _looks_ at them. The poor boy has a habit of falling in love with any man that so much as glances his way. 

“I did think your acting in that performance was really genuine,” Momo points out. “Ah, but so was Mitsuki’s?” 

When Momo and Ryunosuke both look at him square in the eyes, Mitsuki’s heart sinks to his ass. _Not me, don’t look at me, we were talking about Tsunashi-san, remember?_ He laughs nervously. “Uh, Yamato-san gave me some acting pointers before the show,” he lies. 

“Yamato is a good actor, huh!” Momo smiles brightly. “That ring he pulled out, though? I was far away, but it looked, like, really shiny and crazy expensive...” 

Oh, trust Mitsuki, he’s been trying to forget about that ring. He’s desperate to ask Yamato about it, but doesn’t want to be weird, or get a very Yamato-esque answer of, “I didn’t have anything else on me”. It’s been on Mitsuki’s mind ever since that night, though. Yamato has no reason to casually carry something like that around, so why, of all nights, all occasions, did he whip it out for Mitsuki during a fake proposal? 

“Do you like Yamato?” 

He’s so wrapped up in his thoughts that he almost doesn’t hear Momo’s question, or maybe, more truthfully, he’s trying to pretend he’s deaf, or his ears fell off his head. Ryunosuke is leaning forward, attentive, and Mitsuki would almost feel bad not answering since Momo sucked an answer out of Ryunosuke previously, but, _why..._

“He’s my best friend,” Mitsuki finally says. It’s not a lie, at least. 

“Uh-huh...” Ryunosuke says, mentally taking notes. “And?” 

Mitsuki gulps hard, trying not to let them see he’s struggling. God, he doesn’t even know the answer to this question himself. ...Well, he does, probably... How long can he stall answering? His eyes dart to the movie again; weirdly enough, during a scene where Yamato shows up, except there’s two girls clinging to his arms. Mitsuki’s heart thumps. 

“Hey, hey, Momo-san, speaking of proposals, are ya ever gettin’ married to Yuki-san?” 

Thank you, Ryunosuke, for being the true hero of the sleepover. The question makes Momo’s eyes widen like a deer in headlights, but he laughs it off like it didn’t surprise him. The light blush on his cheeks is enough to indicate how flustered it made him. It’s _cute_ , seeing their senpai turn into a mess whenever Yuki is mentioned, like he’s a little kid in love for the first time. 

“It’s not the right time!” Momo squeaks. “At least, that’s what Okarin tells us... He wants us to wait until we retire, so our reputations aren’t tarnished... But I don't ever want to retire!” 

“Imagine a ninety-year-old idol!” Mitsuki can’t hold in his laughter. “Ie yo No Doubt ♫ Yargh! Yuki, I threw out my hip again!” 

Ryunosuke explodes into such obnoxious, unattractive laughter that it in turn contagiously makes Momo and Mitsuki start laughing so hard that they’re nearly bawling. When they finally settle down, Ryunosuke is wiping at the tears and snot staining his face, hiccupping like a baby. 

“But,” it’s Mitsuki that finally restarts the topic, “if you really love him, don’t you think you should do it anyway? You guys already _act_ like you’re married...would anyone even know if you _actually_ got married?” 

Momo twiddles his thumbs, suddenly shy. “Don’t... Don’t tell anyone else this, but...” He leans in closer to the two. “Ever since our fifth anniversary, I’ve been daydreaming about ways to propose...” He sits up straight and sighs loudly, as if he just got the biggest secret in the world off his chest. “Augh, but is that lame?! Should I be the one to propose, even?! Should Yuki do it? But Yuki is so airheaded, I don’t think he ever would...! Not that being airheaded is bad, he’s super hot, it’s just--!!” 

Mitsuki and Ryunosuke exchange concerned glances. Relationships are more difficult than they ever thought, it seems. When you’re single, the only think you ever really worry about is remembering to switch over your laundry, or if you’re going to cook for yourself or order takeout, or if your crush is thinking about you, too, or... 

“I have an idea,” Ryunosuke blurts out. "Momo-san, if you wouldn’t mind, can I see your phone?” 

Momo hesitates for a second. Is giving a drunk man his phone really the smartest idea? It’s not. Momo knows that. Yet... His curiosity is as unbridled as the passion in Ryunosuke’s eyes right now. The phone enters Ryunosuke’s hands, and there’s no going back. 

“You’re trusting him?!” Mitsuki squawks. 

Ryunosuke has no idea how to operate Momo’s phone at first. He mumbles to himself while clicking on a bunch of the wrong apps before he finally finds the rabbit messenger app; he doesn’t even have to dig for Yuki’s contact number, because the first message at the top is from Yuki himself. 

**[10:48PM] Yuki:** Having fun, darling? I miss you. 

Ryunosuke whispers something unintelligible to himself. Momo and Mitsuki keep trying to peek at what he’s doing, but he secretively holds the phone closer to his face. He types, then backspaces, then types more, and backspaces again, and suddenly, Momo is feeling the regret, and thinks to call it off before Ryunosuke proudly declares, “Okay, I sent it.” 

Momo snatches his phone back then yelps. 

**[11:31PM] Momo:** baaaabey letz get marrieddddd  <3 

Mitsuki holds his stomach and breaks out into a fit of laughter. Momo _wants_ to laugh, his lips keep cracking into a painful smile, but he’s still in a grieving state of giving Ryunosuke his phone in the first place. “At least he’ll think it’s a joke, right?” Mitsuki says, in between childish giggling. 

Momo’s phone rings, and they all instantly go silent as Yuki’s name appears. 

They don’t know what to do. 

“W-well, answer it?!” Mitsuki shrieks. 

“You can’t ignore him?!” Ryunosuke cries. 

Momo’s phone flips into the air as he frantically slides the green phone symbol to answer the call. He hushes the two boys on either side of him, and puts it on speaker phone for them to listen. 

“Momo?” comes Yuki’s soft voice. “Are you still with Ryuu-kun and Mitsuki-kun?” 

“H-hi, darling!” Momo’s voice cracks. “They... They went to bed, actually!” 

Ryunosuke and Mitsuki both start snoring loud enough to make sure Yuki can hear it. 

“Are you drunk?” Yuki asks. 

“I’ve only had two glasses of wine, actually! I’m being good tonight!” 

Yuki laughs, and it makes Momo smile and laugh just as sweetly. Ryunosuke and Mitsuki feel like they’re intruding on something deeply personal from how tender the expression on Momo’s face becomes just from hearing Yuki’s voice. 

“Let’s get married, then,” Yuki says. “I’ve been waiting for you to ask.” 

Momo drops his phone. Ryunosuke and Mitsuki both scream, causing Yuki to ask, “What was that?”, and Momo miserably picks his phone back up, turns off speaker phone, stands up, and runs out of the room, into the bathroom. 

“He was waiting for Momo to ask,” Mitsuki repeats. 

“Did I do a bad thing, maybe?” Ryunosuke whimpers. 

“It was just a joke!” 

“But he took it seriously...” 

Momo is in the bathroom for a while. Ryunosuke and Mitsuki can only hear fragments of Momo’s side of the conversation, such as, “Yes...prank...but...love...really...honey...” Which, when pieced together, makes no sense to a drunk man, nor to a Mitsuki Izumi. The two decide on watching the drama that’s on. The previous one featuring Yamato had ended, so it was hard for Mitsuki to hold his interest in it. After about half an hour, they get bored and play tic tac toe. It only takes five minutes for them to get bored of that, plus, drunken Ryunosuke keeps drawing triangles instead of circles. 

**[1:05AM] Yamato:** You up? Nagi is making us watch a Cocona documentary. 

An hour and a half later, Momo walks out of the bathroom. Ryunosuke is passed out, dead asleep, hugging a pillow close to his frame. Momo is holding his head like it hurts, but he’s smiling so wide that Mitsuki can tell the conversation went well. 

“Oh, he fell asleep?” Momo points to the log that is Ryunosuke. “I have to thank him in the morning.” 

Mitsuki’s expression turns devious. “Oohhh? How’d it go in there?” 

“We talked about us...and the future... _our_ future...” Momo almost looks like he might cry out of happiness. “Ah, I’ll tell you both later, okay? I’m so tired! Momo-chan's too old to stay up this late! Mean Yuki, keeping me up all night.” 

“Aw, Momo-san, you look so happy, I’m happy for you!” Mitsuki beams, and Momo beams back. 

After idle chitchat between them, Momo settles into the mess of blankets and cozily falls asleep. Mitsuki finally checks his phone for the first time that night. Seeing a notification from Yamato light up makes him grin at the screen like a kid on Christmas morning. 

**[1:20AM] Mitsuki:** i’m awake! i was talking to momo-san! him and tsunashi-san are asleep now 

Mitsuki peace signs, and takes a selfie with the two sleeping boys in the background. He sends the picture to Yamato as if to prove he isn’t out doing something possibly illegal. 

**[1:21AM] Yamato:** Cute.  
**[1:22AM] Mitsuki:** so? a cocona documentary? what even is that about lolol  
**[1:22AM] Yamato:** Is it mean to say I haven’t been paying attention to it?  
**[1:23AM] Mitsuki:** yes  
**[1:23AM] Mitsuki:** i'm telling nagi  
**[1:24AM] Yamato:** You wouldn  
**[1:27AM] Yamato:** Nagi just scolded me and told me to put my phone away  
**[1:28AM] Mitsuki:** lololol how weird lolololol I wonder why lol  
**[1:29AM] Yamato:** And I was having so much fun talking to you too...  
**[1:30AM] Yamato:** Goodnight, Mitsu  
**[1:31AM] Mitsuki:** goodnight! 

Mitsuki backtracks to the message Ryunosuke sent to Yuki. The dorky little heart symbol... Mitsuki types it out, thumb hovering over the send button. Why does something like that make his throat feel dry? He shakes his head and backspaces. 

**[1:32AM] Mitsuki:** sleep tight!!  
**[1:33AM] Yamato:** You too. See you tomorrow 

Mitsuki puts his phone down and buries his head into the pillow, grumbling. 

\------- 

Before plugging his phone in to charge for the night, Yamato scrolls up through his messages with Mitsuki. He clicks on the selfie he’d just sent him, smiles, and saves the image to his gallery. 

“Ya-ma-to!” Nagi is sure to enunciate every syllable. “You are missing the history of how Cocona’s magic wand was designed!” 

“Yeah, yeah, I’m coming.” 

Yamato sets his phone down on the table, and the charging notification makes the lock screen background pop up: the selfie Yamato had taken with Mitsuki after their proposal act. 

\------- 

“...So, it turns out, Cocona was originally going to be a blood-sucking demon, but the writers thought that would be too mature for a younger audience.” 

“Yamato-san?” 

“The head honcho decided on the magical girl approach, because it would attract all kinds of viewers, regardless of age.” 

Mitsuki sets down the baking soda he had just picked up. “If you don’t stop, I’m going to rip your mouth off and sell it online.” 

Yamato puckers his lips. “Try it. You know how many people would bid on these babies?” 

He leans down like he’s going to kiss Mitsuki in the middle of the grocery store. A few people glance over at the spectacle. 

“Ugh!” Mitsuki laughs and shoves his hands in Yamato’s face. “Stop, stop, weirdo! There’s so many people here!” 

Even with hats, glasses, and casual outfits, if someone was a fan of IDOLiSH7, they’d be able to spot in an instant who they are. Acting normal in public is never especially _easy_ when everyone in the group is so abstract. Nagi and Tamaki are the worst of the seven, even if the two refuse to admit how ridiculous they act out in public. At least, if it’s just the two of them, Mitsuki had thought, no one will recognize them and hound them down... But maybe Yamato is just as obnoxious as Nagi or Tamaki can be. 

“Gross old man.” Mitsuki whacks Yamato in the leg with the shopping basket. 

Yamato makes one last kissy face before continuing down the aisle. The kitchen was completely devoid of food back at the dorms, and after Mitsuki scolded everyone for not bothering to go out and restock, he dragged Yamato out with him to help. Yamato had protested profoundly, but, being weak to Mitsuki, of course came along with him in the end. 

On Mitsuki’s grocery list is written: 

1\. ~~Hot sauce~~

2\. ~~KING PUDDING~~ (with “maybe” written next to it) 

3\. Beef/pork/chicken 

4\. Instant ramen 

5\. Vegetables (with Tamaki’s handwriting next to it reading “nooooooo”) 

6\. King pudding (again) 

7\. Stop writing on Nii-san's grocery list! *angry* 

8\. Milk (in Iori’s handwriting) 

Mitsuki gave up after that. It’s easier to keep a mental record of what he needs rather than try to decipher a messy handwritten note. Yamato keeps tossing things he certainly doesn’t need into his own shopping basket. Potato chips, a pack of beer, bubblegum, pocky... It was all very _Yamato_. Mitsuki smiles at his back, reminding himself internally to never let Yamato do the family grocery shopping alone. 

_Family_ grocery shopping? He meant IDOLiSH7; of course that’s what Mitsuki’s brain meant. 

“We better get the kid some pudding,” Yamato says. 

Mitsuki bumps into his back on accident. If he doesn’t stop this nonsensical daydreaming of... _whatever_ this is, that his mind keeps wandering to, he’s going to end up walking into traffic one day. Yamato glances over his shoulder down at him. 

“What, you cold? Want Onii-san to hold you?” Yamato rubs the top of Mitsuki’s head. 

“Yes, actually,” Mitsuki retorts. “Hold me and never let me go, darling.” 

Yamato stares at him, deadpan. 

Mitsuki stares back, waiting for him to give in. 

He doesn’t. 

“...Crud, you made that more embarrassing than it already was, ignoring me like that!” Mitsuki punches Yamato’s side, and Yamato bursts out laughing. 

Yamato grabs one King Pudding, then another, and another after that; around ten King Puddings are stacked inside his basket, and even then, he’s contemplating grabbing more. “Ever since we were all on NEXT Re:vale, have you noticed how clingy Tama has been with Kujo? He’s always messaging him and wanting to hang out.” 

“Now that you mention it...” Mitsuki absentmindedly grabs more King Pudding, even though he was the one that crossed it off initially on the list. “He keeps begging Sougo to let him skip practice so he can spend time with Kujo! That’s so funny... I wonder if he's trying to make sure Kujo doesn’t actually die like he did in the play?” 

“That would be very Tama of him, huh?” Yamato chuckles. Fifteen King Pudding cups sit in the basket. “I think he’s got a crush on him or something.” 

Mitsuki looks up at Yamato, head cocked to one side. “A crush? How can you tell?” 

Yamato clears his throat, and lets his best Tamaki impression take over: “Do you think Tenten is free tomorrow night? I want to take Tenten to the cat café. Remember when we thought Tenten was a real cat? I hope Tenten gives me more pudding when we’re together.” 

They use the self-checkout center, hoping to avoid being recognized as much as possible. Mitsuki takes out his wallet to pay, but Yamato bats his card away; Mitsuki tries to refute at first, pushing at Yamato’s side, but it’s too late. The machine eats Yamato’s money like a delicious snack before Mitsuki can complain about how grocery shopping was his idea in the first place. 

“So, you think it’s because Tamaki always talks about Kujo lately?” Mitsuki swings their shopping bags in the air. “Hmmm, I guess that makes sense... Like how Iori really likes Riku. He always talks about Riku when he’s with me...” 

They walk down the sidewalk, side by side, the setting sun glimmering in their eyes. 

“Do you like me, then?” Mitsuki teases, looking up Yamato with a shit-eating grin. “You love talking about me!” 

Yamato drops a shopping bag, and, of course, it’s the one filled with all of the vegetables. Tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, broccoli and more go tumbling across the concrete. Mitsuki shrieks and crouches down to pick everything up at the same time as Yamato, and they bang their heads together _hard_. Yamato cries out in both pain and frustration at the situation unfolding before him, and Mitsuki would feel guilty for a split second if he hadn’t started laughing at how a child picked up an ear of corn and cried out, “Mommy, can I keep this?!” 

After finally retrieving everything (also letting the kid keep the corn), Mitsuki notices that, first off, Yamato is shuffling incredibly fast back to the dorms, and, second, he’s avoiding Mitsuki at every cost. He even crosses the street without Mitsuki at one point, and it pisses Mitsuki off so badly that after looking both ways, he sets his grocery bags on the ground and runs, full force, straight at Yamato, and jumps directly onto his back like a killer gremlin. 

“Stop ignoring me!” Mitsuki shrieks, and _God_ , the whole world is looking at their buffoonery right now, but Mitsuki is so ticked off that he couldn’t give a single shit even if he really had to go. “I’m sorry, okay?! I’m sorry!” 

Yamato jumps around like he’s on a pogo stick to shake Mitsuki off. “Fine, fine, fine, just get off of me, what are you doing?!” 

They both have to catch their breath after acting like idiots. With every passerby staring at them, Mitsuki quickly retrieves his grocery bags, grabs Yamato’s arm, and leads him away from the judging gazes surrounding them. The little beach just down the road is always empty around chilly fall evenings like this, so Mitsuki decides that’s the perfect place to knock some sense into the old man. 

“I’m sorry,” Mitsuki says again, once their feet are sinking into the sand. “I didn’t think I’d upset you with a question like that.” 

Yamato sets his bags down, carefully this time, ensuring the vegetables do not have an accident again. His palms connect with his forehead once, twice, three times, slapping himself silly. “It’s not your fault. I don’t know what came over me.” He does, but-- “I think I’m just tired. Magical Cocona: The Magical Documentary of Beginnings was six hours long.” 

Mitsuki smiles sympathetically. Yamato _does_ have bags under his eyes. The waves crash into the shoreline, and Mitsuki looks over to the sea, his eyes glistening as he gazes out at the sunset. 

“Oh, wow...” Mitsuki is completely mesmerized. “It’s so beautiful. I can't look away...” 

“Yeah.” Yamato’s eyes fixate on Mitsuki. “I can’t look away, either.” 

Mitsuki looks back up at Yamato; Yamato’s eyes dart to the sunset, pretending he was looking at it the entire time. It does have its beauty, of course, but the sunset can’t compare to the way Mitsuki's eyes crinkle when he laughs, how he has to slap his knees when something is _really_ funny because he just can’t contain it, how he can immediately tell when a friend is not feeling well and does anything in his power to cheer them up, how even if he’s not the best at something, he’ll keep trying and trying and _trying_ and even if it discourages him, he won’t give up, because that’s just the type of person he is, or how he’ll endlessly encourage the people around him and fill them with boundless energy-- 

Mitsuki is the _embodiment_ of the sun. 

“Everyone is probably wondering where we are, but...” Yamato snaps out of his thoughts when Mitsuki speaks up. “Do you...want to sit here and talk?” 

They sit in the sand, near the shoreline, just far enough away that the waves can’t reach them. Mitsuki sits close enough that their shoulders would be touching if Mitsuki was a little bit taller. An hour passes; the sun has fully set, and the two watch the moon begin its ascent into the sky. Another hour after that passes; the stars twinkle above them brilliantly. 

“You wanna know something funny?” 

Mitsuki is already laughing before he tells the story. He’s so cute that it’s not fair, Yamato thinks. 

“At the sleepover last night, Momo-san painted my toenails green and yellow...” He kicks off his shoes to show Yamato who, in turn, covers his mouth before he snorts like a pig. “And I was like, ‘What are you doing?! It looks like puke!’ Tsunashi-san was laughing so hard. Momo-san said it’s because yellow is Nagi’s color, though, and green is your color.” 

“I see...” Yamato considers Momo’s thought process. “So, me and Nagi will forever be in your toes.” 

Mitsuki wiggles his toes in the sand. “I don’t think I like the way you worded that.” 

“You’ll miss me being in your toes when the polish fades away.” 

“Stop! Seriously!” Mitsuki elbows Yamato’s side, laughing up a storm. “You’re even a pervert about toes, now?! I’m going to wear socks for the rest of my life.” 

Silence between them never feels forced or awkward. As the two gaze up at the sky, pointing at constellations and a few visible planets, they both take turns absentmindedly admiring the other. Mitsuki will find himself suddenly looking at Yamato’s profile instead of the Little Dipper, and when he finally realizes and looks back to the sky, Yamato does the same thing and fixes his eyes upon the curve of Mitsuki’s jaw, or notices the way his eyebrows furrow when he’s concentrating on something. 

“I’m getting sleepy...” Mitsuki murmurs. “What time is it?” 

Yamato pulls his phone out of his pocket. “10:39... No way, we’ve been sitting here for four hours?” 

“Mm...” A catlike yawn escapes from Mitsuki. “Hey... Yamato-san. I have a question, but, I don’t know if it’s personal or not...” 

Blood rushes to Yamato’s ears. “You can ask, but I might not answer.” 

“I’ll try anyway. I wanna know about that ring you had, during our act. It had your family name on it and everything. I’ve never even seen it before. Why did you bring something so expensive to a broadcast with so many people around?” 

Yamato doesn’t say anything. Mitsuki considers that he might not answer, and he’s perfectly alright with that, even if the curiosity is eating him alive. However, it seems to be more of a contemplative atmosphere, as if Yamato simply doesn’t know _how_ to answer. A good five minutes pass before Yamato even opens his mouth, but by then, Mitsuki had resigned himself to Yamato not answering. 

“It isn’t a family heirloom or anything,” Yamato finally says. “My father had it made when I was a kid. I guess he didn’t want me to buy some boring old silver band for the person I wanted to marry? I don’t know, I never wanted it, I was just a kid... But since me and the old man have been trying to repair our relationship, he gave it back to me a few months ago. He said, ‘You’re getting to be that age!’ And I said, ‘I’m deleting your phone number!’ Haha...” 

Yamato pushes his glasses up anxiously. “Do guys usually think about marriage a lot? As an idol, its taboo, so it’s rarely crossed my mind, but, recently...” He won’t look at Mitsuki and, oh, the poor, foolish soul. “Actually, scratch that last part. It’s not important. But I have something that _is_ important to say, and I’m just going to get it off my chest, right now, or I don’t think I’ll ever have the courage to say it again, because I’m a coward.” 

“I think I’m in love with you, Mitsu.” 

_Thud._ Mitsuki’s heavy head falls onto Yamato’s shoulder. His chest rises and falls slowly as he snores softly. 

“Oh.” 

Yamato’s heart sinks to the bottom of the sea. It’s his own fault for taking forever to respond, he surmises. If only he’d answered right away, Mitsuki would be awake, and would’ve heard everything, and he would’ve either been rejected (which he fully expects), or they’d be kissing and rolling around in the sand together (which is a far-off dream to Yamato). 

It hurts. Feeling like this aches every inch of his body. Something as stupid and trivial as a crush shouldn’t be smashing Yamato’s heart like an empty beer can, yet every time Mitsuki smiles up at him with that toothy grin and those bright eyes, he’s so happy that it _hurts_ because Mitsuki is too good for him, and deserves everything brilliant and kind in the universe, and Yamato is just a hopeless drunkard who doesn't deserve the time of day that Mitsuki offers to him. 

Slowly and carefully, Yamato loops the grocery bags around his arms, then lifts Mitsuki up bridal style, using all the caution in the world to not wake him up. Thankfully, the dorms are only a five minute walk from where they are, yet, still, in those ample five minutes, Yamato keeps looking down at Mitsuki’s peaceful sleeping face. 

Unlocking the door without dropping or waking up Mitsuki is a trial, but he manages, somehow. “I’m home,” Yamato calls out to anyone listening. 

Nagi and Sougo look up from the sofa. “ _OH!_ ” Nagi exclaims, followed by a quieter _oh!_ once he sees the sleeping Mitsuki in his arms. 

“I was starting to get worried.” Sougo sighs in relief. “What were you two doing?” 

“Neither of you would answer your phones!” Nagi fakes a sob. “I had thought my two best friends died in a horrible grocery store accident!” 

Yamato puts Mitsuki to bed first. His room smells like freshly baked bread; very fitting of him. It makes Yamato smile fondly. He tucks Mitsuki warmly into bed, brushes the hair out of his eyes, and leans down, closer to his face. Yamato closes his eyes, sighs, and shuts the lights off before exiting and closing the door behind him. 

He walks into the kitchen, where Sougo and Nagi are putting away the groceries that they had very meticulously peeled off of Yamato’s arms earlier. 

“Is everyone else asleep?” Yamato asks. 

“Yes,” Sougo answers. “Riku-kun and Iori-kun fell asleep together, and Tamaki-kun fell asleep in my bed, and I can’t pry him out, so I’m still awake...” He sighs. “So, what happened with you and Mitsuki-san?” 

“I told Mitsu I'm in love with him,” Yamato says. 

Nagi gasps loud enough to rival a gong, and Sougo drops a handful of cucumbers onto the floor. Could vegetables _please_ stop touching the ground today? 

“What did he say?!” Nagi nearly shouts, and Sougo generously covers his mouth, then repeats the same question in a softer voice. 

“He didn’t hear me. He fell asleep.” 

“Oh, no,” Sougo whispers. 

“Oh, _no_ ,” Nagi cries. 

Yamato walks past them and reaches into the fridge, piling as many beer bottles into his arms as humanly possible. “Well, I’m going to bed. Night, guys.” 

Sougo and Nagi silently watch him sulk down the hall into his room. They look at each other, frowning, unsure of how to assess the situation, both knowing it’s unfortunately out of their control. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say everyone knows how Yamato feels about Mitsuki, except Mitsuki himself; Tamaki and Riku might be blissfully unaware, too. Yamato desperately wishes it wasn’t so obvious, but at the same time, it drives him crazy that he _makes_ it obvious, yet Mitsuki doesn’t catch on, or maybe Mitsuki just doesn’t want to catch on because he doesn’t feel the same-- 

Yamato throws himself into bed, beer bottles clinking together from the impact. He doesn’t bother to change out of his clothes before he uncaps one and throws the cap to the floor. The Roomba beeps, activated like a hungry lion, and glides toward the garbage invader. 

“Just you and me tonight, Musashi,” Yamato drawls, taking a long swig.


	3. chapter 3

Yamato knows how he got into this situation, but if anyone asked, he’d lie and he say he got knocked over the head with a baseball bat and was dragged into going on a double date with Momo and Yuki. Mitsuki kept insisting that no, it isn’t a double date, it’s just a gathering of friends in which two of them happen to be dating, but, well, even Mitsuki deep down knew the intentions of Momo asking him if they’d like to go around town with him and Yuki. Two hours earlier, when Mitsuki had begged Yamato to go with him, with those stupid, beautiful, big orange eyes, Yamato knew he was doomed. As any expert would tell you, a Yamato Nikaido cannot just say no to a Mitsuki Izumi. It’s unheard of; no matter what the request may be, the answer will always be yes, even if it takes some persuading to get it out. 

Yuki takes them to an expensive restaurant that neither Yamato nor Mitsuki even knew existed. It’s a dimly lit place, with chandeliers and candles and even a giant water fountain in the entrance, and it’s all so _gaudy_ to someone like Mitsuki. A group of men are playing violins and cellos off to the side, near the bar area. Ah, a bar area. That’s more of Yamato’s style. 

“Should I have dressed up more?” Mitsuki asks, once they’re seated at their booth. He looks down at his plain blue jeans, t-shirt and jacket. “I actually can’t even believe they let me in.” 

Momo laughs and waves a hand in the air. “Mitsuki, you look great! Sorry, this place is kinda stuffy and uppity, but the food is really awesome! Not as good as my honey's cooking, though.” 

“Yamato-kun, look.” Yuki sets down his menu and points to one of the entrees. “They serve ‘boules de bœufs’ here.” 

Yamato stares at the text, unsure of what language it’s even in. “Am I supposed to know what that is?” 

“Oxen balls.” 

Mitsuki hooks an arm around one of Yamato’s to anchor him down before he flies across the table and strangles Yuki, who's struggling not to laugh so hard that his head hangs down while his fist bangs on the table. Momo covers his face with a menu, but his trembling shoulders give away how much he’s equally struggling. 

“Are you gentlemen ready to order?” 

All four of them immediately compose themselves when the waitress appears, as if nothing had just happened. Yuki orders off of the vegetarian menu, Momo orders a cheeseburger, Yamato doesn’t know how to pronounce anything, so he goes with shrimp tempura, and Mitsuki orders ramen from the kid’s menu. 

“Before anyone says anything,” Mitsuki quickly gives his input, “it’s only because I’m not that hungry.” 

It’s almost _painful_ for Yamato not to make a jab back at him. The four make idle chitchat about the recent goings-on in their respective lives before their food arrives. Momo bores into his burger like a ravenous animal. Yuki smiles at him fondly as he takes small bites of his deconstructed eggplant parmesan. Something about it makes Yamato’s gut twist in a gross, uncomfortable way. Not because it’s them, no, he’s used to Momo and Yuki being openly affectionate with each other by now. It’s more of a pang of disgusting jealousy. 

Yamato side-eyes Mitsuki as subtly as he can. He slurps up his ramen, looking happy as a clam, reminiscing with Momo about the sleepover they had with Ryunosuke. It’s been a week since Yamato confessed on the beach (not that he’s counting or anything), and Mitsuki hasn’t brought it up or acted any different around him, which confirms to Yamato that he really _was_ asleep and isn’t pretending that he didn’t hear it. Which, in a way, Yamato is relieved that he didn’t actually hear it, but also, just, damn it. 

He stares at Mitsuki a little too long, and Yuki notices. There’s a coy smile on his face when Yamato finally looks away. It makes Yamato’s cheeks burn, and God, he hopes he isn’t blushing out of embarrassment, but judging by how Yuki’s smile widens, he definitely is. 'Please don't say anything’ is written entirely all over Yamato’s face, and no, Yuki, don’t you open your mouth-- 

“Yamato-kun, are you interested in anyone?” Yuki takes a casual drink from his stupid lemonade like the bastard he is. 

Momo and Mitsuki stop mid-conversation from the sudden interruption. 

“I could hook you up with some friends of mine, if you’d like.” 

“No!” Yamato spits the answer out a little too fast for his own liking. “I mean, no, I don’t want to meet any of your friends. You probably don’t even have friends!” 

“Hey now!” Momo taps on the table. “My darling has friends! Like me, for instance!” 

“Fiancés don’t count as friends,” Mitsuki interjects. 

“Yuki-san, do not hook me up with your fiancé.” Yamato blinks upon realizing the impact of the word he had just used. “Wait, fiancé? ...Has this old man gone deaf?” 

The lights from the chandelier above them, glaring off of the band on Momo’s ring finger, is suddenly all too noticeable now. Mitsuki gasps and covers his mouth over accidentally spilling the beans, apologizing profusely, but Momo and Yuki both chuckle simultaneously. 

“We have to tell everyone eventually,” Momo says. “It’s been SO hard, not telling everyone about it! I want to run up to complete strangers and yell that I’m going to marry the hottest man in the world! I mean, it's not like it's happening any time soon, though, we have to wait a while for the actual wedding...” 

Momo holds up his left hand up to Yamato. It's a shining, silver band, with green gemstones wrapped all around it. Momo reaches for Yuki’s left hand as well to show off a similar replica of the ring, but with pink gemstones rather than green. It’s so cheesy, Yamato thinks, getting rings of their partner’s signature colors, but it’s also so sweet that it makes Yamato want to throw up. 

Yet, it makes Yamato think about how the ring his father made for him has an emerald in it. Mitsuki, with an emerald on his ring finger, so everyone would recognize that he’s married to Yamato. Would Mitsuki get him a ring with an orange gemstone? Maybe an orange topaz? Yamato almost smacks his head on the table from this pathetic train of thought. 

“Tell the story again, for Yamato-san!” Mitsuki enthusiastically pats on Yamato’s shoulder. 

Momo starts from the beginning, a beginning that Yamato is positive doesn’t actually have anything to do with the story of how the proposal happened. Details of how Yuki’s morning breath smell really don’t pertain to Yamato’s interests. Yuki pays the bill for everyone’s meals and leaves a _very_ generous tip to the waitress. Momo praises him for being such a thoughtful gentleman; Mitsuki's jaw nearly drops to the floor when he sees the price on the receipt before they exit the restaurant. 

“...and, I was at the flower shop, getting a whole bunch of roses.” Momo grabs Yuki’s hand as the pair walk down the sidewalk together, Yuki interlocking their fingers. “I was gonna do a whole sexy romantic thing! You know, like, spread rose petals all over the house, leading to the bedroom, and there would be candles all over, and when Yuki walks in I’d be on one knee with the ring out already.” 

Yuki is already laughing at the memory of what happens next, and Momo quickly shushes him. That pang of jealousy hits Yamato like a drum, _bang, bang, bang_ , again. He looks down at Mitsuki walking beside him; Mitsuki suddenly looks straight ahead, as if he’d also been looking at Yamato, or maybe it’s just in his imagination. 

“So, I was walking to Yuki’s apartment, right? Roses in hand, in my best outfit. But, I had my glasses on--” 

“Not just any glasses, the ones with the big nose and the mustache,” Yuki adds helpfully. 

“I didn’t want to be recognized in public!” Now Momo is the one laughing. “Well, wouldn’t you know it, Yuki bumps into me on the street. _Literally_ bumps into me. He was looking at his phone! He could’ve gotten hurt so badly, texting without watching where he was going!” 

“But I was texting you. If I suddenly stopped replying, you would have called the fire department.” 

Momo nudges his cheek on Yuki’s shoulder affectionately. “Seeing Yuki when I’m holding the roses, getting all prepared to propose, it sent me into a frenzy! He was so handsome and sweet and had the best smile on his face once he realized it was me...” Momo pauses. It builds a certain anticipation inside of Yamato, since he’s invested in the story now. “I get down on one knee. He was talking to me, and I don’t even remember what he was saying. I got down on one knee in the middle of the street and asked him to marry me, with my Groucho glasses. I’m so lucky no one stopped to take pictures, because we’d be _doomed_...” 

“Momo-san had told me that, when he was talking to Yuki-san on the phone at our sleepover, that Yuki-san said he wanted a real proposal, not one over text. Could you even call that a real proposal, though?” Mitsuki laughs warmly. 

“I said yes, of course. After I stopped laughing.” 

“He cried! He totally cried!” Momo beams up at Yuki, and Yuki looks away, suddenly embarrassed. 

Yamato cracks a smile at the image of Yuki sobbing while Momo in Groucho glasses slides a ring onto his finger. “Momo-san, I almost feel sorry for you, to have to be tied down to someone so stubborn and rude...” 

“Are you talking about yourself?” Mitsuki jabs an elbow into Yamato’s side. Yamato clicks his tongue and jabs him back, then Mitsuki jabs him again harder, _then_ Yamato wraps an arm around Mitsuki’s chest and gives him a noogie so rough that Mitsuki cries for mercy. Yamato doesn’t relent, holding Mitsuki so close to him that Mitsuki’s back is pressed against Yamato’s stomach, and Yamato leans down, head buried in Mitsuki’s neck as he laughs so hard it hurts. 

Neither had realized that Momo and Yuki stopped in their tracks and are silently looking back at them with knowing grins on their faces. Yamato releases Mitsuki from the chokehold and coughs, Mitsuki coughing at the same time as him, both blushing furiously and looking away from each other as they scuttle back up to Momo and Yuki. 

The four of them had been wandering around aimlessly, without a destination in sight until Momo’s eyes shine at what he sees just ahead of them. “Look, look, _look!_ ” 

Yamato wants to die. Yes, definitely, there’s no other choice but to die, right now. Puncturing himself with a tree branch would work just fine, probably. 

“Tunnel of love...?” Mitsuki reads the sign as they approach. “A tunnel of love, in the middle of October? Isn’t this more of a Valentine’s day thing...?” 

“You cannot force this Onii-san to go on that,” Yamato says quickly. 

“Want to ride with me?” Yuki asks. 

“You shouldn’t say that in front of your fiancé,” Yamato retorts. 

“Even I’m not sure if I wanna go on that...” Mitsuki laughs, then looks up at Yamato. “Hey, shouldn’t we be trying new things? It might be fun.” 

When Mitsuki says that, of course it’s hard for Yamato to say no. “And what are you going to do when the tabloids post articles about how I went through the tunnel of love with my new girlfriend?” 

“I’ll be the best girlfriend you could ask for!” Mitsuki says proudly. 

Yamato blushes and curses himself for it, because Mitsuki notices it immediately and turns red himself. Momo and Yuki are in the background, trying not to laugh at the two again. Yamato watches a boy and girl sit inside one of the giant white swans; they hold hands, the girl resting her head on the boy’s shoulder happily as the swan enters the tunnel, out of sight. It’s a little too chilly by the river... Mitsuki’s right, a tunnel of love in the middle of the fall is a bit of a ridiculous idea. It almost feels like it was put here to mock him. 

“Me and Yuki are going on!” Momo declares, already leading Yuki towards the Tunnel of Shame, which Yamato concludes, would be a much more accurate name. “You guys should totally get on one, though!” 

The two are giggling as they pay and jump into one of the swans. Yamato cannot understand how either of them have that much courage to do anything like that in public. Momo is always saying things like, “Love makes you weak!” and “Love makes you crazy!”, which, as he watches the two snuggle up to each other as the swan enters the tunnel, he completely agrees that the two of them are absolutely crazy. 

“Should we just go home, or wait for them...?” Mitsuki asks, checking his watch. “Oh, I just remembered, Nagi asked me to record that anime for him, and I completely forgot...” 

“Let’s go on it.” 

“He’s going to be so mad at me! Wait, wha— _AUGH!_ ” 

Yamato grabs Mitsuki by the hand and leads him up to the pay area for the swans. His anxiety about the whole situation must be written all over his face, as the employee snickers at him and Mitsuki as he hands him the amount needed to ride. It strikes a primal anger inside of Mitsuki, to see the guy make such a rude face at Yamato just for deciding to do something for fun. 

“Can it, bucko!” Mitsuki snaps. “Just take our money!” 

After leaving the employee speechless, now it’s Mitsuki leading Yamato to the swan. He sits down with a huff, and Yamato stares at him, wide-eyed, before he starts laughing so hard that he has to hold his stomach. “What got into you back there?!” Yamato asks. 

The swan starts making its trek into the tunnel. Mitsuki seems like he’s avoiding the question for a hot second, before he finally sighs. “That guy was a jerk. The way he looked at you, like you were a creep for getting on this with a guy, it just...!” Mitsuki grunts in annoyance. “I bet he made the same face at Momo-san and Yuki-san, too! Ugh... He doesn’t even know you, to judge you like that...” 

Yamato can feel his heart thrumming in his chest. Mitsuki’s face is bright red after his outburst, and it takes him a minute to finally calm down. He looks up at Yamato, scoots closer until their thighs are touching, and opens his mouth as if he’s about to say something, but is cut off once the swan gets deeper inside the tunnel and... 

Obnoxious love music starts blaring from speakers above them. Obnoxious, as in, much to Yamato’s absolute _dread_ , Love Two You is booming throughout the tunnel, for everyone to hear. It’s the icing on the fucking cake at this point. Was this tunnel really put here to mock him? To laugh at his lovesick misery? He expects to hear a roar of laughter from Mitsuki, but when he glances down at the other boy, he’s looking up at him, with some sort of fiery passion in his eyes that makes Yamato’s heart jump even more. He really can’t take much more of this. It was his own fault, but good God, it’s worse than he thought it would be. 

“This is so embarrassing,” Yamato cries. “Why couldn't they play any other popular love songs? I can’t stand listening to myself...” 

Mitsuki places a hand on top of Yamato’s, and it makes Yamato jump a little in surprise. He’s acting like a nervous schoolgirl, and he knows it, and he hates it. “It’s a great song!” Mitsuki says, with all the seriousness in the world. “Do you know how many times I listened to it when it was released? It really moves my heart, to hear you singing about something that you would normally never talk about! ...I love to see new sides of you.” 

_Oh, stop,_ Yamato thinks. His hand is feeling repulsively sweaty under Mitsuki’s. _Why are you so nice to me? I don’t deserve this. You don’t know how I feel about you. You wouldn’t say that if you knew. You’d be disgusted._

“Your song was better, Mitsu,” Yamato says, laughing off his nervousness. “You really one-upped me in every way, you know?” 

“Thanks, but...” Mitsuki’s voice turns soft. “You don’t have to say that, you know? Just let me compliment you. I really mean it.” 

Mitsuki grips Yamato’s hand. He keeps looking up at him, with those big doe eyes, looking like he desperately wants to do something but just _can’t_. It’s giving Yamato a heart attack, not knowing what the hell he’s doing, why he’s holding his hand so tight, why he keeps scooting closer even though they’re already squished together, why his face is suddenly only inches apart from Yamato’s, and Yamato is frozen and can’t move-- 

_I can’t, I can’t, I can’t!_ Mitsuki feels like there’s bricks in his stomach. He turns his head away so quickly that it leaves Yamato even more confused. _What am I doing?! What was that I just tried to do?!_

_What was that?!_ Yamato stares straight ahead, like a statue. _What the hell was that?!_

Love Two You ends at the same time as the ride. The swan comes to a halt at where it had initially begun, and the two carefully dispatch. Mitsuki avoids eye contact with the employee he barked at earlier as the two quickly scramble away from the Tunnel of Pure, Unadulterated, Never-ending Embarrassment and Shame. Mitsuki looks up at Yamato; Yamato had been looking at him, too, and he quickly looks away, causing Mitsuki to look away just as fast. 

“Yoooohooooo!” Momo calls from across the street, waving frantically at the two. “Over heeeere!” 

“I’m gonna say I have the runs and back out,” Yamato whispers to Mitsuki. 

“Ah, they actually went on the ride,” Yuki says. “I thought Yamato-kun would say he has the runs and back out.” 

“Yuki! That’s vile!” 

Mitsuki covers his mouth as his shoulders tremble from laughing. “You need a new plan,” he whispers back to Yamato. A text alert dings, and Mitsuki digs into his pocket, recognizing it as his own. He opens the message, wondering who it could be from, then his eyes widen with a sense of anxiety. 

**[2:43PM] Tsumugi:** Please come back to the dorms as soon as possible! I’ll explain everything once you’re here!  
**[2:44PM] Tsumugi:** Sorry! I should’ve worded that less frantically, no one’s hurt, but it’s kind of serious! 

\------- 

Mitsuki stands in the middle of his room, after apologizing to Momo and Yuki for having to cut the day short. He stares up at a hole in the ceiling, dripping with water faster than the bucket on the ground can hope to manage. Nagi is trying his best to empty the bucket every time it fills up, replacing it with a new bucket, then emptying that bucket and replacing it once again, but it’s a lost cause. 

“How did this happen?” Mitsuki asks miserably. 

The floor is covered in towels to soak up the puddle that is now his room. Yamato and Tamaki help him move his things to Iori’s room for now, until the hole can be repaired. Tsumugi keeps apologizing, even though everyone knows it’s not her fault, but she can’t help but feel guilty anyway. 

“One of the workers says that a storm from last week left a crack in the ceiling, and it finally couldn’t take it anymore and collapsed...” She frowns deeply, then sighs. “I wish we would’ve caught it sooner, then it could’ve been fixed before... _this_ happened.” 

Iori turns to the two, after finishing a conversation with one of the repairmen. “Manager, it’s not your fault. Don’t feel so burdened about things that cannot be controlled.” 

“You’re absolutely beaming right now, Ichi,” Yamato teases. “You happy that Mitsu gets to stay in your room?” 

“I-I...” The jab makes Iori freeze. “The circumstances are unfortunate. That is all. There’s nothing to be happy about.” 

Yamato holds Mitsuki’s pillows under his arms. “I’m so hurt that Mitsu rejected this Onii-san's offer to stay in my room. We could’ve had so much fun, staying up all night, drinking, but I guess in the end, blood brothers come first.” 

Mitsuki shakes his head, looking to the repairman. “Do you have any estimates on how long it’ll take to fix it?” 

The gruff looking man taps a pencil on his head. “It’s looking like we’ll have to replace the whole ceiling of this room to make sure the entire structure doesn’t bust. I’d say a week, only because our schedule is so packed from recent storms... We’re patching this part up here now, so the leak stops, but the rest will be a gradual process.” 

“A whole week?” Nagi repeats grimly. “Oh, where else will I store all the merchandise I cannot fit into my room...” 

“Idols don’t get special service?” Tamaki asks, and Iori slaps him on the back. 

Tsumugi bows, thanking the repairmen for their hard work after the leak is patched. It still drips just enough to need a bucket under it, though, which Nagi is once again more than happy to provide his assistance as he places one under the leak. Mitsuki holds his head and sighs, following Tamaki and Yamato into Iori’s room as they set the rest of his belongings down on the floor. 

“Nii-san, you can sleep in my bed,” Iori says, already setting up his blankets and pillows. “It’s big enough to accommodate the two of us.” 

“It’ll be like a sleepover. Can I join in?” Tamaki reaches for one of the plush rabbits on Iori’s nightstand, and Iori smacks his hand away. 

“Absolutely not,” Iori hisses. 

Yamato laughs at the two, then places a comforting hand on Mitsuki’s shoulder. “Hey, you can come to my room if it gets to be too much, alright? I’ve got enough beer for the both of us.” 

“Thanks...” Mitsuki watches as Yamato and Tamaki exit the room, Tamaki rubbing his hand and muttering about how mean Iori is. 

Mitsuki flops his entire body onto the bed dramatically. He groans into the pillow, and, after getting his anger out, he sighs, rolls onto his back, and turns his head to Iori, who’s standing there, frowning sympathetically at him. 

“Ugh, sorry, you didn’t need to see that,” Mitsuki apologizes. 

Iori sits at the edge of the bed, then crawls up to Mitsuki and lays down next to him. He grabs a pillow and holds it to his chest. 

“We haven’t had a chance to talk in a while, Nii-san...” Iori is _still_ frowning, and it makes Mitsuki feel guilty for worrying him. “Is everything okay? You know you can tell me anything, right? I don’t mean to pry, I just...” 

“I’m fine...” Mitsuki sighs again, unintentionally, a dead giveaway that everything isn’t actually fine. “How are you and Riku doing?” 

Iori tenses at the mention of Riku’s name. “What is that supposed to mean? We’re the same as always.” 

Neither of them says anything else until Iori’s text alert pings. Mitsuki immediately glues himself to Iori’s side, trapping him against the wall by the bed, fixated on the phone once Iori pulls it out from his pocket. Mitsuki sees the message is from Riku and loudly goes, “Ooohhh?!?!” Iori shrieks in shame, jumping out of bed before Mitsuki has a chance to read the message. 

“Nii-san, even you aren’t allowed to read my messages!” Iori cries, holding his phone to his chest like a lifeline. 

Mitsuki sits up in bed, wiggling his eyebrows. “Messages from your boyfriend?” 

Iori grabs his bag off the doorknob in a rush. “I’m leaving! I have work to do! Bye, Nii-san!” 

The nerve Mitsuki struck must have been _severe_ for Iori to run out on his brother like that. Mitsuki chuckles to himself, but knows he better apologize later for teasing someone as weak as Iori. Especially when Mitsuki doesn’t have the confidence himself to open up to Iori about Yama.. He slaps his cheeks, and pulls out his phone. The quiet solitude of being in Iori’s room alone is starting to get to him. 

**[3:50PM] Mitsuki:** i have a top secret mission for us  
**[3:51PM] Yamato:** Why are you messaging us? We’re all in the dorms  
**[3:52PM] Nagi:** shhh! it is top secret, Yamato! everyone would hear us if we gathered!  
**[3:52PM] Yamato:** Nagi, I can hear you shushing out loud from down the hall  
**[3:53PM] Nagi:** then it would be wise for you to shush.  
**[3:54PM] Mitsuki:** ok, anyway!  
**[3:55PM] Mitsuki:** iori just ran out all embarrassed because i saw he got a text from riku.  
**[3:56PM] Nagi:** ohhh...! young love, blossoming before our very eyes...  
**[3:56PM] Mitsuki:** i want to follow him and see if he’s going to meet up with riku somewhere  
**[3:57PM] Yamato:** Mitsu, I never pegged you as the stalker type...  
**[3:58PM] Mitsuki:** shut up! it's a brotherly instinct!  
**[3:58PM] Mitsuki:** i want you guys to come with me, that way if he sees me, it’ll look less suspicious of me  
**[3:59PM] Yamato:** Definitely stalkerish.  
**[4:00PM] Nagi:** i have to agree with our dear Yamato.  
**[4:01PM] Mitsuki:** you’re both coming whether you like it or not! 

\------- 

The three stand in line at a food van, hoods pulled over their heads, sunglasses glinting off from the reflection of the sun. Mitsuki keeps checking around him, left and right, up and down, for any sign of his younger brother or Riku in the area. Nagi orders ice cream for them all, taking licks from each cone before handing them off to their respective owners, earning a disgusted grunt from Yamato. 

“I think we look even more suspicious, looking like this, instead of being casual...” Yamato avoids licking where Nagi had tainted his matcha ice cream. “Especially this Onii-san... I already look enough like a villain just the way I am.” 

“Shh, you look great!” Mitsuki says absentmindedly, still on the lookout. He licks at the sherbet ice cream starting to melt down his hand. “I thought for sure they’d come here. This is Riku’s favorite place to get snacks.” 

“ _OH!_ ” Nagi shouts and points, the two next to him following his finger. Riku and Iori are walking together, laughing and smiling, until they hear Nagi’s shout and look over. Yamato and Mitsuki both jump to cover his mouth and drag him behind the food van before they can be spotted. Nagi drops his ice cream in the process, which ensues another cry of distress from him. 

“Are you stupid?!” Mitsuki hisses. He pokes his head out from behind the van, sighing in relief that Iori and Riku hadn’t recognized them. 

“Onii-san’s got a bad feeling about this.” Yamato presses his back against the van. “Can I go home now? I don’t want to incur the wrath of Ichi.” 

Nagi slowly creeps away from behind the van, pulling out a pair of binoculars that neither Mitsuki nor Yamato knew he even had on him. He looks forward, directly at Iori and Riku, humming to himself as he watches their every move. Mitsuki slaps his forehead, really regretting the decision to bring these two along with him now. 

“Our friend Riku is eating what looks to be a sundae,” Nagi narrates. “Oh, it looks very delicious. I might have to get one after this. They are sitting at the public picnic table. Riku has said something, and Iori is turning red. Riku is now laughing. He is trying to spoon-feed the sundae to Iori. Iori seems to be protesting, but accepts it in the end.” 

“And you guys called _me_ the stalker...?” Mitsuki grumbles. His curiosity takes over, however, and he peeks out from behind the van to watch the two. It’s so _cute_ how stupidly shy Iori gets around Riku, no matter how much he tries to deny it. His feelings are written all over his face, the way he nervously smiles after taking a bite out of the ice cream, even after refusing so ardently. 

“It’s like a shoujo manga...” Yamato mutters, finally willing himself to look at the pair. 

“Ioriiii~” Riku holds another spoonful of vanilla ice cream up to Iori. “Say, ‘aaaah’!” 

“N-Nanase-san, please...” Despite the protesting, he opens his mouth, accepting the sweet treat once again. “We’re in public, can you please be decent? If paparazzi were to see us...” 

Riku does that signature pout he always does around Iori. “So, what? Let them see us! I don’t care what kind of rumors people spread about us. I like you, Iori. I like spending time with you!” 

“What are they saying?” Yamato asks. 

“Unsure,” Nagi responds, binoculars still glued to his face. “Our cute Iori has turned red once again after a comment from Riku.” 

“You like me...?” Iori repeats softly. 

“Uh-huh!” Riku beams at him all too brightly. “Oh, I almost forgot, though. What was that thing you needed to talk to me about? Is it serious, if you couldn’t say it at the dorms?” 

Iori covers his mouth with a fist as he coughs. He moves closer to Riku until their shoulders touch. Riku smiles still, but gives him a quizzical look at the sudden contact. Iori keeps glancing around, as if to make sure no one is watching him. Luckily, no one except three invasive boys are paying any attention to the two. “When you say you l-like me,” Iori begins, failing at keeping his cool composure, “in what way do you mean it?” 

Riku blinks. He isn’t sure if he understands the question; with Iori, there’s always a complicated meaning behind his words that flies over Riku’s head, and he doesn’t want to give the wrong answer when he’s looking at him so seriously. “Well, I... Is this a trick question? I just like you.” 

“But do you _like_ like me?” Frustration takes over, and he’s starting to sound like Tamaki now. 

It clicks, and Riku sputters a little, like a malfunctioned robot. He puts down the spoonful of ice cream he was about to bite into carefully before looking Iori in the eyes. “...Why, do _you_ like me?” 

“Oh, my God,” Mitsuki whispers under his breath as he watches the exchange. “I think he’s going for it. I think he’s going for it? Ugh, what are they saying?!” 

“I feel like I’m intruding on something I shouldn’t be aware of...” Nagi doesn’t move from his spot. “And yet, I cannot look away.” 

“It’s taboo for idols to form romantic relationships.” Iori closes his eyes, Riku’s radiance blinding him. “But, I... Nanase-san, I...” 

Riku places a hand on top of Iori’s. “During our act on NEXT Re:vale, I really wanted to kiss you.” 

Straight through the heart. Iori physically falters, almost falling off his seat on the picnic table; Riku scrambles to grab his arm and keep him in place. They look each other in the eyes and both laugh nervously, these two poor, inexperienced-at-love teenagers without a clue as of what to do. Then Riku’s face suddenly turns serious, and it gives Iori a short shock before Riku leans in and kisses him so briefly on the lips that Iori isn’t even sure if it actually happens, but when Riku pulls away and gives him that big, doofy smile, his heart explodes, and this time, he actually _does_ fall off the picnic table. 

“OH, MY _GOD!_ ” Nagi all but screams for the world to hear, dropping his binoculars to the ground. 

Mitsuki and Yamato stare at Riku and Iori, jaws dropped, eyes huge behind their sunglasses. Riku and Iori definitely notice them this time, with a scream as identifiable as Nagi’s. Iori jolts up, a flustered mess, staring directly at the group, yelling something incoherent, charging towards them. 

“We gotta go, we gotta go, we gotta GO!” Yamato grabs Mitsuki and Nagi by the wrists, running faster than the two even knew he was capable of, practically dragging them like ragdolls. He doesn’t stop until they’re finally back at the dorms, never looking behind him, ignoring the cries from the two behind him being pulverized by the cement beneath them. Thankfully, Iori didn’t give chase for very long. Unfortunately, Yamato is out of breath, wheezing like an elderly person. 

“Old man, I’ve never seen you run like that?!” Mitsuki is out of breath just from the pure shock of the situation. 

“My Cocona themed loafers...” Nagi cries, looking down at the scuff marks on his shoes. 

Yamato doubles over, still panting. “I just saved our lives back there,” he huffs. “Onii-san needs to be pampered, now.” 

\------- 

Mitsuki stays in Yamato’s room for the night. No, not because he’s afraid of how angry his little brother will be at him for snooping. Definitely not for a reason as silly as that. More like, Yamato is tired and old, and might have a heart attack if he’s not watched over properly. Nagi joins them, supposedly for the same reason. It’s not as if there’s anything scary about Iori Izumi. 

**[10:09PM] Mitsuki:** sorry!!!!!!  
**[10:09PM] Iori:** I’m not mad. *angry* *angry* *angry* Goodnight, Nii-san. *angry* 

Mitsuki tucks his phone back into his pocket. He knows the best thing he could do right now is to man up and apologize to Iori in person, rather than hide from him, but it’s _very_ rare that Iori is ever actually, genuinely upset with him, so he figures maybe it’s best to let Iori have time to himself before the reckoning of Mitsuki Izumi occurs. 

“Here’s some clothes for you, Mitsu.” Yamato walks out of the closet with freshly folded apparel. “They’re probably going to be way too big on you, though.” 

Mitsuki narrows his eyes at the comment; Yamato braces himself for a kick to the shin, but it doesn’t come. Mitsuki takes the clothes and makes his way to the bathroom to change, leaving Yamato and Nagi to their own devices until he returns. Nagi, thankfully, brought his own pajamas. Yamato doesn’t want to have to face the facts that Nagi would definitely look better in his clothes than he, himself, looks. 

“Riku and Iori...” Nagi is tapping away furiously at his phone as he speaks, which Yamato can only surmise as being one of his mobile app games. “Young love is such a beautiful thing. For Iori to have the courage to be upfront about his feelings, I must applaud him.” 

Yamato pushes his glasses up. “Are you going to give me another weird speech like you did last time we had a sleepover?” 

“FULL COMBO!” Nagi, laying down on his back, puts his phone down on his chest. “Yamato, I'm hurt. I never say weird things. All my words have meaning.” 

Yamato sighs. He sits down on the floor, in front of the various board games Mitsuki picked out for them to play together. Uncorking a beer bottle, he chugs it down, ready for the alcohol to take over any of his common sense that he might have left. “Do you give Mitsu the same speeches you give me all the time?” 

Nagi sits up and reaches for the cup of orange juice on the coffee table. It’s a nice surprise to Nagi, how careful Yamato and Mitsuki are to make sure he doesn’t ever have a sip of alcohol when he’s with them. Not that’s ever been very interested in it, anyway; but the loving care his friends put towards him warms his heart. “Mitsuki is more straight forward than you are, so no!” Nagi answers with a smile that doesn’t make Yamato feel better. “However, neither of you are straight forward about your feelings for one another.” 

“You mean how I think he’s a shrimp?” Yamato chugs the beer down again. “I know you’re just trying to help, but I promise, it’s none of your business.” 

“All of IDOLiSH7’s business is my business,” Nagi says. “I make it a point to know everything about everyone. Such as, how Sougo sleeps with a weapon under his pillow at all times." 

Yamato stops mid-drink of his beer. “Remind me to never go into Sou’s room at night.” 

Mitsuki finally walks out of the bathroom, swinging the large sleeves of Yamato’s green cardigan in the air. The green flannel bottoms are even bigger on him than Yamato had expected; they droop past Mitsuki’s feet, and the band threatens to fall right off his ass with every step he takes, even with being tied as tight as they go. 

He looks so _cute_ in Yamato’s clothes. 

“Don’t say anything,” Mitsuki says, ashamed. 

“Mitsuki, you look adorable!” Nagi coos. 

Yamato nods in agreement. “ _Really_ cute.” 

“You’re not making me feel better!” Mitsuki grimaces. Defeated, he sits down next to Yamato, pulling his pants up before doing so. He grabs one of the bottles of beer and takes a long swig, a satisfied “Aahhh!” leaving his lips as he finishes the bottle in one go. 

“I have a request.” Nagi picks up the game titled ‘Jenga-ish’ and opens it. “I have never played this before. I want to experience it with my dearest friends.” 

Yamato leans forward, helping him dump out all the wooden game pieces. “Sometimes you word things like it’s your last day on Earth, Nagi.” 

Mitsuki laughs at that, but Nagi keeps a serious expression on his face. “You never know which day will be your last. That is why I say, you must not be afraid to take chances, with friends, love, and boardgames.” 

“Alright, alright, Shakespeare.” Yamato gets all the wooden pieces into a messy pile, then sits back. “We all know how to play, right? We take turns stacking the pieces on top of each other. Whoever knocks it over first, loses.” He looks to the two boys with passion in his eyes. “How about we make this interesting? Whenever someone loses, they have to tell us a secret.” 

_This way..._ Yamato looks directly at Mitsuki. _Tell me if you’re into anyone, Mitsu._

Mitsuki looks skeptical. “ _You’re_ really the one suggesting this? Last time we all played that magnetic fishing game, you refused to play with us because of that rule.” 

“Onii-san isn’t going to lose a single round.” 

“Neither shall I,” Nagi declares. “Mitsuki, I hope you have several embarrassing stories to tell us.” 

Yamato loses the first round right away. Reaching for his beer bottle, his elbow knocks against the tower and sends everything collapsing down. Mitsuki holds his stomach while laughing way louder than necessary, and Yamato angrily admits defeat. 

“I forgot to wear underwear on the first date I ever went on,” Yamato says. 

Mitsuki’s laughing even _harder_ now, while Nagi looks scandalized. “You nasty old perv!” Mitsuki croaks. 

Five beers in for Yamato, four beers in for Mitsuki. Mitsuki stops when the tipsy feeling starts settling in, not wanting to leave Nagi alone in his sobriety. Yamato keeps going, without a care in the world, determined to make Mitsuki spill his guts about _anything_ at this point, but he hasn’t lost a single round yet. Nagi has confessed to a few mundane secrets, such as, “Season 5, Episode 8 of Magical Cocona was subpar in my opinion” and “The official Magical Cocona Limited Edition Wand is poorly crafted”. 

It’s driving Yamato crazy that Mitsuki hasn’t lost yet. Yamato uses as much precision as his drunken mind will allow, but the tower leans to the side a little too much, and goes tumbling down. He groans, banging his fists on the floor. 

“Onii-san isn’t going to lose a single round,” Mitsuki mocks. 

“Mitsuuuuuu...” Yamato cries, leaning his head on Mitsuki’s shoulder, clinging to his arm. “Please, give Onii-san a break, I’m running out of secrets...” 

“What, you want me to purposely lose?!” Mitsuki’s cheeks are dusted pink as he waggles the arm Yamato drools on. “Fess up, gramps. You lost fair and square.” 

Yamato rubs his face into Mitsuki’s arm as he thinks of something to say. Maybe the drunkenness is making him stupid; yes, it’s _definitely_ stupid, but he has to take this shot in the dark. 

_If Iori did it, I can do it,_ Yamato keeps repeating in his head. 

“I have a crush on someone,” Yamato blurts out. 

Mitsuki and Nagi both freeze and stare at him. Nagi’s jaw would be on the floor if it were possible. His eyes dart between the pair, with Mitsuki staring at Yamato, wide-eyed, and Yamato still glued to Mitsuki’s arm like a koala bear. All of Yamato’s previous secrets have been typical things anyone would expect of someone as secretive as Yamato, but this... 

“I have to use the facilities!” Nagi shouts, springing to his feet. “It might take hours! Continue without me!” 

He runs out the door, out of the room, leaving Mitsuki speechless. Yamato knows exactly what Nagi’s thought process is, and mentally curses himself for being so obvious. “Does he know you have a bathroom in here...?” Mitsuki asks. 

Yamato detaches himself from Mitsuki’s arm. His eyes tense, more serious than ever, and suddenly Mitsuki feels as if he’s on trial for something terrible he’s done. A sense of dread fills his stomach, but something like excitement sits in there, too. He never knows what to expect from the man sitting across from him now. 

“...Are you going to tell me more about this crush, or leave me hanging?” Mitsuki asks, trying to fill the quiet void in the air. 

Yamato begins the stacking game again. “If I lose, I’ll tell you more.” 

_This will never work. He doesn’t like you. You’re going to ruin your friendship. You’re a creep, you’re disgusting, you don’t deserve him. IDOLiSH7’s future could be ruined if you keep going. Stop. Stop. Stop._

The tower crumbles by Yamato’s hand yet again. He takes a harsh, shaky breath, looking up at Mitsuki. “The person I like is...” He gulps. It feels like something is lodged inside of his throat. “The person I like is really helpful, and caring, kind of like a housewife.” 

Mitsuki falters at the mention of housewife, but tries not to let it show. His gaze is as fierce as Yamato’s, if anything. “Is it Musashi?” He grins, then flaps those long sleeves in the air when Yamato glares at him. “Kidding, kidding! I know this is serious for you!” 

Mitsuki’s chest physically aches from how fast his heart is beating. Yamato is finally, _finally_ willingly opening up to him, but he’s not sure if this kind of secret makes him happy. It hurts, in a way that Mitsuki can’t put into words, almost like a feeling of jealousy that he knows he shouldn’t have. It’s only natural for Yamato to fall for people, he knows it is, and even if idols aren’t technically allowed to pursue relationships, they do it under cover anyway. Watching his brother make a move on Riku like that, it really made him consider going for something, but... 

Lost in his thoughts, Mitsuki accidentally knocks over the wooden tower. Yamato had already prepared his next secret for when he inevitably sends the tower flying, so he’s completely caught off guard. Whooping and cheering comes from Yamato as he claps voraciously, acting as if he hasn’t lost about fifty times prior to this one time occurrence. 

The hammering in Mitsuki’s chest doesn’t stop. His whole body feels hot, like it’s on fire, like he’s trapped inside a cramped room. Yamato doesn’t say anything, just stares at him expectantly, chin in his hands with a shit-eating grin plastered on his face. 

He doesn’t want to hear anything more Yamato’s apparent new crush. His heart hurts. He feels small, inferior, like no matter what he does, there’s always going to be something bigger and better than him, something worth more, something more charming and desirable-- 

“I love you,” Mitsuki says. 

It seems as if the world stops. Mitsuki turns entirely red and covers his mouth, his eyes looking like they’re going to pop out of his head. He didn’t mean to say that, he didn’t mean to say that, he didn’t mean to say that, the words just tumbled out of his mouth, _he didn’t mean to say that_ , 

“Wh--” Yamato is frozen. His body feels like stone, like something is holding him in place. “What? Is this a joke? This isn’t funny...” 

And Mitsuki starts _crying_. He bursts into tears on the spot, shoulders trembling, and before Yamato can move over to console him, Mitsuki jumps up and runs out of the room, praying to all the Gods in the universe that Yamato doesn’t follow him. He runs down the hall, past Nagi, who was just about to return back to Yamato’s room with snacks piled into his arms. 

“M-Mitsuki?!” Nagi cries, dropping the bags of popcorn to the floor. 

"Shit!” Yamato runs out of his room as fast as he possibly can, after Mitsuki, but Nagi roughly grabs him by the shoulders. 

“Please, what happened?!” Nagi begs, but Yamato pushes him away and keeps running without a word, out the front door. 

Sougo and Tamaki, who had been sitting on the sofa in the main room, look to Nagi in horror. Even Tamaki had put down his prized King Pudding in a state of shock. “Should-- Should we go after them?!” 

"No," Nagi says quickly, putting an arm out in front of Tamaki. "It is their own ordeal... We would only make it worse."

“It looked so serious,” Sougo says, frantic. “If Iori-kun had seen that Yamato-san made Mitsuki-san cry...” 

They all shudder at the thought. Nagi looks as if he’s about to cry, staring at the front door, praying he hadn’t intervened too much into Yamato’s personal affairs. “My dear friends...”


	4. chapter 4

Yamato runs until his legs threaten to give out, until his lungs burn from exhaustion, all while screaming Mitsuki’s name until his throat is raw and his voice is hoarse. The tears stinging the corners of his eyes threaten to finally release themselves, but he won’t let them; he holds them back with all his might as he runs, runs, _runs_ to where he _knows_ Mitsuki will be, because when you’ve loved a boy for this long you start to know more about him than you even know yourself, as if he exists on the back of your hand. 

His breathing comes out ragged as he eventually comes to a halt, bent over with his hands on his knees as he desperately tries catching his breath. He feels like he’s going to vomit from the whirlwind of emotions coming at him all at once. Looking up, he balls his hands up into fists and trudges forward, faster than before, as if his entire life depends on this, sweat dripping down his chin. 

Mitsuki leans against the railing in front of Zero Arena, his face hidden behind those ridiculously long sleeves as he sobs, wipes his tears, and sobs some more, sniveling like a lost child in a department store. When he looks up and sees Yamato running towards him, he cries out so miserably and tries to run, tries to get away, tries to hide his shame, but Yamato is too fast and grabs Mitsuki by the arm. 

“Let me _go!_ ” Mitsuki screams, turning around and smacking Yamato’s arm so hard that he knows there’s no way it’s not going to bruise. 

“Mitsu!” Yamato grabs Mitsuki’s other arm by the wrist, and Mitsuki jerks and kicks at Yamato in resistance. “Mitsu! _Mitsuki!_ Look at me! Look at me, Mitsuki!” 

Mitsuki desperately continues to fight back, kicking Yamato so hard in the knee that he groans and sinks down, but his grip on Mitsuki’s wrists doesn’t relent, and the smaller boy goes to the ground with him on his knees. Finally, Mitsuki gives up and breaks down on Yamato’s shoulder and cries so hard that he’s whimpering and choking on his own tears. 

“Look at me,” Yamato says again. 

Warm arms wrap around Mitsuki, and the younger boy hiccups before looking up at Yamato. With an expression so soft, so full of love and care, it’s not _fair_ , Mitsuki thinks, that he has to make an idiot out of himself, and it's all Yamato’s fault for making him feel this way, and he has the nerve to look at him with such kind eyes, eyes that Yamato hates, but those eyes, Mitsuki loves and cherishes and wishes he could stare into forever. 

“I don’t--” Mitsuki’s voice quivers. “I don't want you to hate me, I’m sorry, I’m sorry...” 

Yamato’s chest aches. Mitsuki, thinking Yamato could ever hate him in his entire life, makes his heart feel like it’s shattered into a million pieces, all across Japan. His arms feel like pudding as he holds Mitsuki tighter, bringing him closer until their bodies are pressed together. That stinging feeling in Yamato’s eyes is all too much and the dam finally bursts as his shoulders tremble with the weight of his sobbing. 

“Don’t ever say that again,” Yamato snaps. “Mitsu, don’t you ever... I could never hate you. You mean too much to me. You mean the world to me.” 

Mitsuki slowly raises his head and looks up at Yamato once again, face stained with tears. They look at each other in a certain knowing silence, both too caught up in their own heads to speak up until finally, Mitsuki can’t take it any longer and he cranes his neck forward, pressing his lips against Yamato’s so hard that it knocks any remaining breath the older man hads left in him. His eyes widen in shock, and before Mitsuki thinks Yamato might not kiss him back, Yamato wraps his arms around Mitsuki’s neck, pulling him closer, and kisses him back just as hard. 

It feels like hours before they pull apart for air. Yamato has a fuzzy, day-dreamy look in his eyes, his cheeks tinted red. For such a brusque manly man, Yamato’s lips are so _soft_. Mitsuki wants to kiss him forever, he’s decided, even despite the harsh aftertaste of beer. Yamato must have decided the same thing, because he pulls Mitsuki forward and kisses him again, gently this time, with more care behind it. When Mitsuki smiles against Yamato’s lips and laughs, oh, that heavenly laugh, Yamato smiles too, and suddenly, every worry in his life vanishes into thin air. 

“I love you, I love you, I love you,” Yamato chants, like a hymn. “You have no idea, Mitsu, I love you...” 

Mitsuki’s heart feels fit to burst. Hearing something like that, so genuine, from Yamato, secretive Yamato, never letting anyone in, never allowing himself to get too close to anyone in fear of them hating him, Yamato Nikaido spilling his guts out on the ground for him, it makes Mitsuki almost feel _stupid_ , stupid for running away, stupid for being so afraid to pursue something he could’ve had all along.

Yamato helps Mitsuki to his feet, both their legs shaking as if they're ponies learning to walk for the first time. Embarrassed, awkward and shy, they only look at each other and laugh, cursing themselves for being so cowardly, so afraid to tell each other earlier, yet now so happy and childish. Yamato brushes his thumb against Mitsuki’s cheek, wiping away the happy tears streaming down his face. 

“Mitsu...” Yamato’s voice, sweet as honey, is so unlike anything Mitsuki’s ever heard from him before. “Your pants are falling down...” 

Mitsuki looks down. The pajamas he’d borrowed from Yamato are struggling not to slide down his ass. Honestly, Yamato has to wonder, how Mitsuki even managed to run all the way to Zero Arena with those oversized pants on without tripping or losing them entirely. 

The comment earns Yamato a hard punch to the gut. 

\------- 

Surprisingly, everyone is asleep when the two arrive back at the dorms. Having to tiptoe into Yamato’s room so as not to wake up a sleeping Nagi on the couch feels like an expert level stealth mission. Yamato locks the door behind them, and lets out a sigh that feels weeks overdue. Once alone in his room, though, the pair is suddenly hyper-aware of everything that just happened within the last hour. 

They both look in the opposite direction of each other, faces burning as red as tomatoes. 

“I, uh...” Mitsuki stutters. 

“We, uh...” Yamato blubbers. 

“Oh! You go first--” 

“Ah, you go ahead--” 

As it turns out, Momo was right all along. Love makes you weak, and stupid, unable to form sentences, or use your brain for any sort of coherent thoughts. It makes you look at each other with big, goofy grins, and laugh at each other with a foreign code that no one else understands. If Mitsuki had to describe the feeling of being in love, he’d say it feels like your entire being is a cup of wobbly King Pudding. Another result of love, it seems, is that it makes you use describing words that only Tamaki would use. Yamato would explain love in a way that feels like he’s in a never-ending, warm and fuzzy buzzed state of mind. 

Bodies wracked with exhaustion, the two collapse onto Yamato’s bed. Yet, their minds are on hyper-drive, both filled with so many questions and thoughts that they _know_ they aren’t getting any sleep tonight, no matter how badly their droopy eyelids may try to testify. Yamato claps, and the lights shut off; Mitsuki makes fun of him for at least an entire five minutes about how he really went and installed those stupid lights that react to clapping. After the teasing, however, Mitsuki insists that Yamato keeps a nightlight on (“Not that I’m scared or anything!”), so Yamato claps two times, and a little plug-in attached to the wall lights up. 

“How long have you liked me?” Mitsuki asks. 

Yamato lays on his back, head resting against the several pillows Mitsuki had brought in adorning his bed. Mitsuki is glued comfortably to Yamato’s side, using his chest as a pillow, with an arm draped over his (surprisingly toned, Mitsuki notices?) stomach. Yamato lazily pets Mitsuki’s hair as he considers the question. 

“That night you were practicing dancing outside,” Yamato begins. “I had stubbornly refused that acting role. But you gave me that speech, about pushing your limits and giving it your all, how you keep going at something no matter how many times you fail...” 

“Th-that long?!” Mitsuki chirps. 

Thankfully, the faint green light from the nightlight isn’t strong enough for Mitsuki to see Yamato’s embarrassed, pained expression, but the way he stops petting Mitsuki’s hair is a dead ringer. “You were really cool, alright?!” Yamato retorts. “You’re always saying such cool things, for such a small, cute guy...” 

A jab to the side was definitely expected by Yamato, and definitely earned, but he still grunts when the impact happens. Mitsuki laughs regardless, though, and nuzzles his cheek against Yamato’s chest. The butterflies in Yamato’s stomach are overwhelming, and suddenly, the lyrics to Dear Butterfly make a whole lot more sense to him. Yamato has always desperately longed for affection, so having the man he’s fallen head over heels for, snuggled up by his side, makes him sigh happily. 

Mitsuki ponders when he first fell for Yamato, but honestly, he doesn't remember. The feelings gradually bubbled up over time the more and more they hung out, and before he knew it, Mitsuki would be waking up in a pool of sweat after having dreams about...inappropriate...relations...with Yamato. Mitsuki would absolutely never, _ever_ in his life admit to having those sorts of dreams. 

They lay there together, in a comfortable silence. Mitsuki draws circles on Yamato’s stomach, while Yamato glides his fingers across Mitsuki’s back. He presses his lips against the top of Mitsuki’s head and stays like that for a long while, taking in the mango-y smell of the smaller boy’s hair. If heaven exists, Yamato decides, this is it. He’s in a state of pure bliss that no amount of alcohol could ever make him feel. 

“So...” Mitsuki murmurs, so quietly that Yamato barely catches it. “What... What does this mean?” 

“Hm?” 

Mitsuki is almost too embarrassed to say it. “Don't play dumb! You know... _Us?_ Where do we go from here?” 

Is there anything to think about, though? Mitsuki knows what he wants, and he’s sure Yamato wants the same thing. He’s just being selfish, he supposes, wanting to hear the words directly from Yamato’s mouth, affirming his feelings. Knowing Yamato, though, Mitsuki knows that he needs the affirmation just as badly as he does. 

“I love you,” Yamato says, as if it’s the simplest thing in the universe. It’s still _embarrassing_ saying something like that out loud, but the more he says it, the more he never wants to stop saying it. 

It sends a shiver down Mitsuki’s spine, in a good way. “I _know_ , dummy...” Yet, he smiles. “Are we boyfriends, then...?” 

Boyfriends. _Boyfriends._ Thank every God that anyone has ever prayed to that Mitsuki cannot see the expression on Yamato’s face. His cheeks suddenly hurt from how hot his body grows just from hearing that one word. Of course, yes, they’re boyfriends now. It’s everything Yamato has ever wanted, but to be able to call Mitsuki his boyfriend is making every brain cell in that noggin of his bounce around like jumping beans. 

“Yes,” Yamato spits out, so fast that it makes Mitsuki laugh. “You know what that means, right? I’m going to princess carry you around every we go, and tell everyone that you’re my cute Mitsu, and that no one else is allowed to have you.” 

Despite it being an obvious joke, for some reason, it makes Mitsuki flustered. Only for about half a second though, until he kicks at Yamato’s leg. “If anything, I’ll be the one carrying you around, old man! You’ll be drunk on the floor, whining, ‘Mitsuuuu, come help your poor boyfriend’ and expect me to do your bidding for you just because we’re dating!” 

“Is that what you think of me? I’m hurt, Mitsu.” Yamato smiles into Mitsuki’s hair. “I’m already like that, though, aren’t I? I guess we’ve been dating this whole time, and didn’t realize it.” 

Yamato tends to say things that he doesn’t realize are embarrassing until the words slip out of his mouth. This is definitely one of those times, as they both go silent after acknowledging that he really isn’t _wrong_. Mitsuki always makes meals for him, pampers Yamato despite any resistance he shows, and stays up late with him simply talking. And while Yamato may not act like the perfect househusband, his flirtatious comments and demeanor towards Mitsuki would make anyone think they’re together. 

“That’s embarrassing,” Mitsuki cries. 

“It really is,” Yamato whines. 

After another half hour of talking, the two finally decide to sleep. They shyly kiss each other goodnight, still not used to the display of affection, yet smiling like they’re teenagers again whenever they do it. It’s the most peaceful rest Yamato has ever had in years. Holding Mitsuki in his arms, breathing in sync, without a worry in the world in this tranquil moment; he thinks for a second that he’ll never have to drink again if being with Mitsuki Izumi can make him feel this euphoric. 

\------- 

No one ever talks about how uncomfortable and awkward cuddling is. Maybe it’s due to the fact that neither of them has experience in that area, or perhaps it’s because Yamato’s bed is too small for them to properly stretch out, but all Mitsuki knows is that he wakes up sore and feeling more like an old man than Yamato ever complains about. Somehow, throughout the night, they changed positions; Mitsuki wakes up to Yamato curled up, drooling on Mitsuki’s chest, with their legs tangled together. 

His bones may be cracking in agony, but waking up to Yamato’s precious sleeping face is more than Mitsuki could ask for. Silently, he takes out his phone, and snaps a picture. The shutter sound effect makes Yamato grumble and stir, causing Mitsuki to squeak and quickly put his phone away before Yamato can witness anything he just did. 

“G’morning,” Yamato slurs, eyes still closed. He sleepily wraps his arms around Mitsuki and hugs him closer, breathing into Mitsuki’s collarbone, the tickling sensation making Mitsuki laugh and push him away. 

“Morning, Yamato-sa... Yamato,” Mitsuki says warmly. “Stay there, okay? I’ll get us some breakfast.” 

“Mm... I like it when you say my name with no honorifics.” 

Mitsuki steps out of bed, after a difficult time of removing the sleepy brick that is Yamato Nikaido off of his body. Protests of, “Mitsuuuuuu, don’t gooooooo” does not stop Mitsuki, and he walks out of Yamato’s room, closing the door behind him. He makes sure no one is around before he presses his back against the door and sinks to the floor, smiling and sighing so _happily_ that it makes his chest ache. He feels like he might cry tears of joy, but before the waterworks can start, he hears voices from the kitchen and quickly pitter-patters that way. 

“ _MITSUKI!_ ” 

Mitsuki has always thought that no one in these dorms really needs alarm clocks with Nagi around. Maybe he should suggest to Sougo to just have Nagi scream in Tamaki’s ear the next time he can’t get the high schooler out of bed? His train of thought is put on hold when Nagi bounds towards him and brings him into the strongest embrace ever known to mankind. It makes Mitsuki laugh, and he hugs Nagi back just as hard. Riku and Iori grin at the two from the table. 

“Is everything okay?” Nagi whispers into Mitsuki’s ear, and suddenly, Mitsuki remembers the awful melodrama-worthy display they put on last night. Truly, he’s just grateful that Iori wasn’t there to witness it. He’ll have to apologize to Sougo and Tamaki later. 

“Yes,” Mitsuki whispers back. “I’m sorry for worrying you. We’ll talk more later.” 

Nagi backs out of the hug, beaming at Mitsuki and giving him a wink. He waltzes back to the table, not wanting to say anything more in front of Riku and Iori, despite his curiosity knowing no bounds. 

Iori puts down his fork and coughs. “Nii-san, good morning.” 

"Good morning, Mitsuki!” Riku says. 

Mitsuki walks over between the pair, wrapping his arms around both their shoulders and bringing them into side hugs. Iori sputters and shrieks, meanwhile Riku laughs and rubs his cheek against Mitsuki’s affectionately. It’s just like Riku to never hold a grudge; even Iori seems less agitated than the day before, so Riku must have talked him down and out of it. 

“Whose clothes are those, Mitsuki...?” Riku asks, once Mitsuki wanders over to the fridge. 

It stops Mitsuki dead in his tracks. He looks down, as if he’s somehow forgotten the clothes he’s wearing are five sizes too big and definitely not his. _Be casual! Be cool!_ “I kept Yamato company last night, and before we knew it, we were falling asleep, so he let me use some extra pajamas of his.” 

Iori’s jaw clenches the instant he catches the way Mitsuki refers to Yamato. _Yamato._ Not Yamato-san, but Yamato. Something about it makes Iori’s stomach gurgle. He likes to think he’s an expert on everything about his big brother, knowing all his quirks and ticks, so after noticing something like that, and the way he fidgeted for just a second before answering... 

His eyes narrow. He gives Mitsuki the most knowing look, lips pouted into a frown, just _staring_ at him. Mitsuki feels the energy immediately and realizes he’s messed up. Riku is oblivious, Nagi is too absorbed in his pancakes, but Iori, oh, _Iori_ is filling the room with such a powerful, burning aura only meant for Mitsuki, and boy, does he certainly feel it. An aura that says, 'Nii-san, are you keeping secrets from me?'

“Nii-san.” His tone isn't angry in the slightest, so Mitsuki has to wonder why he’s mentally throwing daggers into his chest. “I’ll have to have a long talk with Nikaido-san later.” He coughs. “However, I have to say, I think they suit you very well.” 

Was that some sort of blessing, or is Mitsuki dreaming all of this? Or maybe he’s actually in a coma and all of this is a never-ending nightmare, where his younger brother pulls him into an endless loop of being _way_ too overprotective and suspicious of every comment he makes? Really, he can’t pretend he isn’t the same way with Iori, but having it thrown back at him feels like an impossible maze. 

“Suit him?” Riku has to laugh at that. “He’s swimming in them! But it’s cute, so I like it, Mitsuki!” 

Before Mitsuki can rebuke being called cute, Yamato walks into the kitchen, shirtless, scratching his stomach while yawning. His glasses are lopsided on his face, and his hair is nothing short of a bed headed mess. Riku opens his mouth to greet him good morning, but is rendered speechless when Yamato sleepily trudges up to Mitsuki, wraps his arms around his waist, and rests his chin on the smaller boy’s shoulder. 

“Y-Yamato--” 

“You took too loo~oong, Mitsu,” Yamato purrs into his ear. “I missed you...” 

Iori hacks, choking on a piece of bacon, and Riku roughly slaps on his back until the perpetrator is coughed out. Nagi claps his hands together and is staring at Mitsuki and Yamato like a giddy high school girl, his eyes sparkling like in all of his favorite anime. That’s when Mitsuki knows, without a doubt, that now _they_ know, no matter what sort of fabricated lies they might try to make up. 

“ _AHEM!_ ” Iori barks. 

Yamato quite literally jumps a foot back out of shock. In his sleepy state of mind, all he was capable of doing is focusing on Mitsuki, and hadn’t even noticed the three other invaders in the kitchen. He turns around to look at the trio sitting at the table, all looking at him with huge eyes. The younger Izumi brother, especially, gives him a look that strikes an ungodly fear in Yamato’s core. 

“Mitsu, you looked cold, are you better now?!” Yamato really tries to milk it, but not even Riku is buying it. 

“Wouldn’t you be the cold one, Yamato-san...?” Riku asks. “You’re not wearing a shirt.” 

“Please make yourself decent before presenting yourself to us,” Iori hisses. 

Yamato feels like the equivalent of when you think you know the answer to the question in Jeopardy, but say the phrase just a little bit off and end up with a negative amount of money. No, it’s not like they were planning on hiding their newfound relationship. Neither of them came to that conclusion, but on that same note, neither of them planned to openly tell anyone about it just yet. 

Breakfast at the table, thankfully, isn’t as awkward as Mitsuki thought it would be after that debacle. Nagi is a master at reading the mood of the room, so he quickly changes the subject to the newest episode of Magical Cocona, which catches Riku’s attention. Iori, however, keeps giving Yamato that damned knowing look. He went and put a shirt on, what else does the kid want? 

“Where’s Sou and Tama?” Yamato asks, between a bite of his eggs. 

Riku perks up at the mention of the two. “Oh, they had an interview for MEZZO’’. They should be back in time for...” His voice softens as he turns to Iori and murmurs something that Yamato doesn’t quite catch. He blinks at them, unsure of what they could be talking about, but doesn’t bother to ask about it. For all he knows, they could be talking about where they’re going to go make out next. 

Oh, right. _Right._ How did Yamato almost forget about what he witnessed those two doing the other day? He bites his tongue, wondering if he should poke fun at Iori for it, weighing the options in his head. And, well, of _course_ , Yamato cannot deny himself the opportunity to tease the younger Izumi brother, when he knows it’ll fluster him like a tomato. 

“You two are awfully chummy, huh?” Yamato says, flashing a cheeky smile. 

Riku stops mid-conversation with Iori to face Yamato; Iori gives Yamato that narrow-eyed, frowning expression for at least the tenth time today. 

“We _are_ dating now, Nikaido-san,” Iori says, “so, yes, we are chummy, as you say. However, I thought you of all people would have realized our state of affairs.” 

Yamato stares at Iori, wide-eyed, and Mitsuki chokes on his eggs from the laugh that honks out of him. 

“You knew?!” Yamato asks Mitsuki. 

“I didn’t, I didn’t!” Mitsuki’s eyes water from a mix of laughing and choking. “But your face, it was so funny!” After his body finally stops punishing him for eating eggs wrong, he puts his fork now and smiles at his little brother. “Iori, I’m so happy for you two... I could tear up, watching my brother grow into an adult...” 

Iori can’t hide the serene smile that takes over his face. “Nii-san...” 

Nagi, who had been stricken into silence from playing a serious round of event songs on his mobile game, finally puts his phone down and looks to everyone at the table. When he speaks up in that loud tone, it makes everyone jump in surprise. “To see love blossoming before my very eyes, it makes me feel that IDOLiSH7 can never be torn down.” He holds a hand to his heart. “I want us to stay this way forever, with endless love for each other.” 

Riku smiles as warm as the sun at Iori, and Iori turns away, blushing, but gently places a hand on top of Riku’s own. Yamato and Mitsuki both look to each other, then smile sheepishly, followed by Mitsuki giggling. Nagi doesn’t comment, but he watches with soft eyes, before abruptly standing up from his seat. 

“ _Alright!_ ” He takes his dirty dishes to the kitchen sink, then loops his bag around his shoulder. “My friends, I will see you all tonight! Yaotome-shi and I have several things to discuss.” 

He walks out, waving goodbye. Mitsuki glances at Yamato, cocking his head to one side, as if to question what Nagi meant when he said he was going to have a talk with Gaku; Yamato understands this telepathic message Mitsuki sends him, but he shrugs. Everyone seems to be speaking in codes today, for some reason. 

Nagi’s departure prompts Iori to check the clock. He picks up Riku’s empty plate, placing it atop his own, and takes it to the kitchen. “Riku--” When Mitsuki glances at him, Iori covers his mouth and coughs. “Nanase-san, we should probably be heading out soon, too. Kujo-san...is expecting us.” The way he says Tenn’s name sounds poisonous. 

Riku jumps up and follows Iori to the door, looping his arm around the younger boy’s. “Iori, I told you, you can call him Tenn, he won’t get mad...” 

"I really, _really_ would prefer not doing that.” 

The two walk out together, leaving Mitsuki and Yamato to their own accord. Yamato stares at the door, confused, then lifts his arms and promptly smells his armpits. “What just happened? Do I stink? Everyone left us.” 

“Yeah, you reek. Go take a shower, old man.” Mitsuki nudges Yamato affectionately as he gets up from the table. “Weird, though, huh...? They all went to meet with members of TRIGGER, too. Should I call up Tsunashi-san?” 

Yamato plops himself down on the couch, patting next to him, beckoning Mitsuki over. “Wouldn’t you rather hang out with your boyfriend all day?” 

“Eehhhh...” Mitsuki sits down next to him and sticks his tongue out. “I dunno, I can think of better things to do.” 

After an arduous wrestling match started by Yamato and then lost by Yamato (Mitsuki pinning him down by the arms and tickling his sides was a dirty trick), they settle on playing Mario Party 7. That, however, ends up being a very short-lived prospect, because after Yamato steals two of his stars and all of his coins, Mitsuki throws his controller so hard at the ground that the joystick snaps off. 

With video games out of the question for someone as competitive as Mitsuki, they put on a couple movies. The first movie they sit through is a comedy; well, it was _supposed_ to be a comedy, but neither of them laugh throughout the entire thing. Instead, they only complain through the whole movie, questioning every idiotic thing the characters say or do. Their banter ends up being funnier than the movie, the two making each other laugh with their quips. 

The next movie is a disgustingly cliché romance film. Yamato thought it’d be romantic for their newfound relationship to watch something like this, but twenty minutes in and they’re both already embarrassed by the acting and dialogue. It starts out with the main girl dumping her boyfriend and moving out of their apartment, then moving in her with childhood best friend. As the movie progresses, the girl and her best friend fall in love with each other, but the ex-boyfriend tries tearing them apart.

“How many evil ex-boyfriend roles have you played, Yamato?” Mitsuki asks, cheek resting on Yamato’s shoulder. 

“I don’t want to think about that,” Yamato says. “...About three, though, probably. And I acted way better than this bozo ever will.” 

The film ends, and the two are still the only ones at the dorms. It’s weird, certainly, but not unusual, considering everyone’s tight schedules. For the two of them to both have the day free seems to be a coincidental miracle, however. Mitsuki is happy as can be, cozied up next to his boyfriend; that word is still so new and foreign on his tongue, but it has a deliciously sweet flavor. Yamato smiles at the boy snuggled up on his shoulder, and kisses the top of his head. 

Mitsuki puts on a horror movie that Momo recommended to him a while back. Knowing Momo’s love of everything gorey and downright disturbing, Mitsuki has no idea what to expect. It starts out normal, as most horror movies tend to do; a group of seven friends go on vacation together, and while out exploring, happen upon an abandoned house in the middle of the woods. After one friend enters the house and leaves unscathed, the entire group suddenly ends up being haunted by an evil spirit, one of them being brutally killed in a fatal car accident. They all come to the conclusion that the only way to save each other is to enter the abandoned house and face whatever demons lie in wait. 

It doesn’t get graphic until they all enter the house. And _that_ is when Mitsuki finally understands why Momo is so into this movie. One friend wanders off from the group and, when they find old documents pertaining to the previous residents of the house, a dark entity appears behind her, pulls her eyeballs out of their sockets, snaps her neck in half, then proceeds to slit her throat with its long nails and drink her blood. 

“Oh,” is all Mitsuki has to say. 

Yamato is _gripping_ his thighs, trying to keep his composure. His stoic demeanor makes Mitsuki think he’s not all too enthralled by the movie, but it’s just the opposite. He’s in agony from how detailed every little death scene is, and he’s unbelievably thankful for how Mitsuki can’t see when he closes his eyes before a jump scare is about to happen. 

“Are you bored?” Mitsuki asks, peeking up at him. “We can shut it o--” 

A scene happens that Yamato does _not_ expect. One of the boys opens a door and immediately gets jumped by a bloody little girl missing half of her face. She screams, bites into his cheek, tears off the skin, eats it, then goes on to stab him in the chest with her freakishly sharp fingernails. Yamato screams in a tone shriller than Mitsuki has heard from children, and the older man clings to Mitsuki’s arm and buries his face in his neck. 

_Oh, my God._ Mitsuki’s heart flutters in his chest. _That was the cutest thing I’ve ever seen._

He turns off the movie and rubs at Yamato’s shoulders. “Yamato! It’s okay, I turned it off!” He laughs; not in a spiteful way, more of a comforting way. “I’ve never seen you get like this before over a movie?!” 

It takes Yamato a long second before he loosens his vice grip on Mitsuki’s arm. “Onii-san just lost fifty years of life. Mitsu, comfort me.” 

Maybe the distress was just an act for attention in the long run, but Mitsuki huffs, smiles, then plants his lips against Yamato’s. That wasn’t what Yamato had in mind for comfort, and it catches him off guard, but he quickly melts into the kiss and returns it. Being so new and inexperienced at relationships, the two keep forgetting that making out is on the long list of things they can do now. A lightbulb seems to flash over both their heads at this realization. 

Mitsuki is the one that takes the initiative, gently pushing Yamato down onto his back, his head laying against the couch’s armrest. He towers over Yamato despite being much smaller, giving off such a hungry, dominant aura that _more_ than intrigues Yamato. Straddling the older man’s hips, Mitsuki leans down and captures Yamato’s lips into his own once more, hot and heavy. Yamato scrapes his tongue against Mitsuki’s teeth and moans so pathetically that he would be ashamed if he wasn’t so desperate for this. It’s unfortunate, stripping Mitsuki of _his_ clothes, the clothes Mitsuki looks so adorable in, but his dick is speaking louder than his mushy heart. With the cardigan off, Yamato works on unbuttoning the shirt underneath, but it’s hard keeping focus when Mitsuki is tongue wrestling him and grinding down on him like a horny rabbit. 

“Mitsu,” Yamato says, breathlessly between kisses, “I don’t think I can stop myself if we keep going.” 

Mitsuki nibbles at Yamato’s bottom lip before give him a response. “Pervert.” 

Neither of them hears the sound of the door being unlocked. Mitsuki doesn’t hear the click of the door handle turning, and Yamato, running his hands down Mitsuki’s chest as if he’s a perfectly molded sculpture, doesn’t notice the figure about to step in when the door flings open. 

“Ah.” 

They both do, however, hear that. 

Gaku quickly closes the door, and turns to Tenn, who’s standing beside him. “We probably don’t want to go in there just yet.” 

Tenn doesn’t have to ask to know what Gaku had just encountered. He can hear Mitsuki and Yamato squawking like birds on the other side of the door, frantically scrambling to redress themselves while continuously yelling something about, Gaku this, and Gaku that. “First my brother, and now this? What goes on in these dorms?” 

Gaku doesn’t even try to hide the laugh that comes out of him after hearing that. 

“What.” Tenn narrows his eyes up at the taller man. 

“You say that as if you’re actually the pristine angel you paint yourself to be.” 

Before Tenn can bark back at him, Mitsuki opens the door, fully clothed (in his own clothes, this time). Yamato is sitting on the couch with his face in his hands. “Yaotome, Kujo, I’m so sor--” 

“Nope.” Gaku walks in, waving a hand in the air. “Izumi-ani, what are you trying to apologize for? I didn’t see anything.” 

Tenn walks in behind him, carrying handfuls of glittery decorations in his arms. “Just walking into a normal building, with normal people not doing anything out of the ordinary, yes?” 

Mitsuki doesn’t know if he should be thankful that they’re playing dumb for his sake, or be even more embarrassed. “Th... Thanks, guys...” 

Tenn gets on his tiptoes, trying to hang a banner on the wall that reads, “Happy birthday, Ryunosuke!” but height is not on his side. He grumbles to himself when it droops to one side, obviously crooked, and an annoyingly tall Gaku comes over to the save the day and fix it. He isn’t, however, spared from nagging by Tenn, complaining that he would have eventually gotten it perfect if he had just given him time. 

“What’s that for?” Yamato asks, finally over his own embarrassment. “Tsunashi-san’s birthday isn’t until Friday.” 

“We know our teammate’s birthday,” Tenn retorts, sharp as ever. “Did no one tell you? We’re having his surprise party for him here, tonight.” 

“That’s why we’re here,” Gaku adds. “Must also be why I walked in on _that_.” 

Mitsuki slaps his forehead, and Yamato is back to hiding his face in his hands. Simultaneously, they both say, “Please forget you saw that.” 

Gaku looks over his shoulder at them and grins devilishly. “Saw what?” 

\------- 

The party goes smoothly, just as everyone (well, besides unknowing Mitsuki and Yamato) planned. After consulting Tsumugi about having no idea about the party, she apologizes for the lack of communication; apparently, Iori was supposed to tell them about it, but he was too busy at the time and entrusted the information with Riku. Riku told Tamaki about how he was afraid he would forget to tell Mitsuki and Yamato about it the next time he saw them, and as it turns out, he did completely forget. Tamaki, having known the two hadn’t been told about it, considered telling them himself, but instead ate King Pudding and also forgot about it. 

Despite the mix-up, both Mitsuki and Yamato already had presents prepared for Ryunosuke’s birthday beforehand, so no impromptu gift buying was necessary. Ryunosuke sobbed as soon as he walked through the door and saw everyone waiting for him; he cried even harder when Gaku and Tenn came up and hugged him, and Gaku _swears_ he saw Tenn start tearing up, but the former will deny it until his last dying breath. 

“Truth or d-dare,” a drunk Sougo slurs, leaning his entire body weight against Ryunosuke. 

Ryunosuke sloshes the bottle of beer in his hand. "Mmm... Dare.” 

“I dare you toooo... Ahahaha, I dare you to let me sit in your lap.” 

Before Ryunosuke has a chance to say anything, Sougo is already squirming into his lap like a worm. It only makes Ryunosuke laugh, and he wraps an arm around Sougo’s waist, bringing him in closer. “Happy birthday to _me_!” Ryunosuke cheers, and God, when someone tells the two about this tomorrow, Sougo is going to swear off alcohol for the rest of his life. 

Iori and Tenn sit at the dinner table, squinting at the two drunken idiots, sipping on their apple juice. Iori never thought he’d be able to get along with someone like Tenn, but after their...civil, if you could call it that, conversation about him being in a relationship with Riku, the two came to a truce that they would have to get along for Riku’s sake. In the end, the two figured out they have several surprisingly similar interests and qualities, though they hate to admit it. 

“They’re like animals,” Iori grimaces. 

“That’s an insult to animals,” Tenn says. 

Tamaki waltzes over to the two, stopping behind Tenn. He flings his arms over either side of Tenn’s shoulders, and rests his chin atop Tenn’s head. “Tenten.” 

Tenn flinches at the sudden contact, but doesn’t make a move to push Tamaki off of him. “Whatwhat.” 

Iori covers his mouth with a balled-up fist, miserably trying not to laugh. 

“You never responded to my rabbit chat.” Tamaki makes a move to grab Tenn’s apple juice, but Tenn bats his hand away. “Hey, I’m just thirsty. Oh, I forgot what I was saying. Oh! Do you still want to go to that cat café? I got reservations and everything.” 

Tenn’s whole face goes from pearly white to peachy pink. With Iori staring at them, even more intrigued now after hearing a cat café is involved, he quickly jerks his head to the side, causing Tamaki’s head to clunk down onto his shoulder. “Can we talk about this later, in private?” Tenn hisses into his ear. 

Tamaki makes a sad mumbling sound. “Why? Iorin doesn’t mind. Right, Iorin?” 

Iori pretends that he can’t hear a word the two are saying. “I’m going to get more juice,” he finally says. It makes Tamaki pout, and Tenn is dying from embarrassment that he’s desperately trying to hide. 

On the other side of the room, Nagi, Gaku, Momo, and Mitsuki are joking and laughing together. 

“So, what _did_ you think of Nagi’s butt, Gaku?” 

Momo’s question makes Gaku pause. Nagi bats his eyelashes frivolously at Gaku, awaiting a positive response; in the meantime, Mitsuki glances at Nagi’s butt. It’s definitely not a bad butt, it could be worse, but maybe it’s the fact that Nagi is half Northmarean that it looks...flatter than the average butt would be? Mitsuki shakes his head, not wanting to think about Nagi’s ass any longer. 

“It’s nothing to sneeze at,” Gaku says, after long contemplation. “It’s only suitable that a man as beautiful as Rokuya has the goods to match his face.” 

Mitsuki and Momo both snort, but the comment lights a fire inside of Nagi. The way he looks up at Gaku resembles a devoted fan meeting their favorite celebrity for the first time. “#1 Most Desired Embrace, complimenting my rear end...” Nagi fakes a sniffle (actually, who knows; it could be real). “If only you were a girl, I would have fallen head over heels in love with you just now.” 

“Does that really matter, Nagi?” Mitsuki looks at Gaku, whose entire being seems to be glowing. “I mean, just look at him. He’s so...” 

“Hot,” Momo finishes for him. “Stunning. Radiant. Sexy.” 

Nagi taps his chin, inspecting Gaku thoroughly. It almost embarrasses Gaku, but he continues to stand there, letting himself become a spectacle for Nagi’s eyes. “Alright, I will admit, you are very good-looking, for a man.” 

“Good-looking?” Momo repeats. 

“That’s all you have to say?” Mitsuki guffaws. 

“Can we change the subject?” Gaku pleads. 

Yuki, Riku and Yamato sit around the coffee table together, playing Go idolFish. Yuki keeps bumping his foot against Yamato’s knee, and Yamato is trying not to lose his patience with the senior, but he’s like a ticking time bomb around this guy. If Riku hadn’t so cutely begged them to play with him, Yamato would’ve been lying in bed, away from all the commotion. 

“Give me your kings,” Yuki says. 

“Go fish!” Riku declares. 

“This is the fifth time in a row you’ve said go fish,” Yamato mutters. “Are you sure you know how to play...” 

Yamato and Yuki both look over Riku’s shoulders at his cards. He has the most cards out of all of them, and about three turns in the two older men knew Riku was playing it wrong, but neither of them has the heart to tell Riku he’s doing it wrong. It’s more fun that way, they both think mentally, to let their cute kouhai win, even if through false methods. 

Yuki puts his cards down on the table, prompting the end of the game. “It seems our partners are over there flirting with Gakkyun.” 

“I noticed...” Yamato says absentmindedly, subtly glancing towards the group of four across the room. 

“Ah. So, you admit he’s your partner?” 

When Yuki flashes that menacing smile, Yamato realizes he’s slipped up. Yet, Yamato doesn’t care. Before, when they both were just two awkward boys with awkward crushes, he would get furious and pull out tufts of Yuki’s hair for messing with him. Now, though, that he’s finally, happily in a relationship with Mitsuki, he feels as if there’s nothing to hide, and no reason to even want to hide it. 

“Yeah,” Yamato says, after a brief pause. “Yeah. We’re dating.” 

Honey milk that Riku had taken a drink from dribbles out of his mouth. Riku already knows, of course he knows, this morning was a dead giveaway, but hearing it out loud seems to have changed his entire life. After using his sleeve to wipe at the milk on his chin, he beams up at Yamato so brightly that it almost rivals Mitsuki’s own radiant smile. 

“Looks like we get to go on more double dates, then, hm?” Yuki says. 

“No.” 

“I wanna go with! I’ll bring Iori!” Riku chimes in. 

“I would love that.” Yuki softens his expression for Riku. 

“Please, no...” 

Yamato heaves out a sigh, but Mitsuki looks over at him from across the room, giving a small little wave and a toothy grin. Yamato waves back, a goofy smile on his face; Yuki and Riku look Mitsuki’s way, and mimic Yamato’s actions. It would annoy Yamato if he wasn’t so madly in love with Mitsuki that just the simple action of his boyfriend smiling at him in a crowded room didn’t turn him into a gooey puddle of adoration.


End file.
